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Final Program


Dori Carlson, OD

Park River, ND, United States

Dr. Carlson was the first woman to serve as President of the American Optometric Association. During her tenure as President in 2011 she visited every school/college of Optometry and lobbied extensively for children’s eye exams to be an essential benefit in health care reform. Optometric Management named her as one of the “Most Influential in Optometry” as well Primary Care News identified her as a “Pioneer in Optometry”. She was also the 2019 recipient of Women of Optometry’s Theia Award for Leadership.

Dr. Carlson was the first female president of the North Dakota Optometric Association and was honored as the North Dakota Young Optometrist of the Year as well as Optometrist of the Year. Dr. Carlson is a Fellow of the American Academy of Optometry, a Diplomate of the American Board of Optometry and a 1989 graduate of Pacific University College of Optometry. She, along with her husband, Dr. Mark Helgeson, founded Heartland Eye Care, a multi-location practice in North Dakota, 30+ years ago. Despite her busy schedule speaking and advocating for her profession she continues to see patients and strives to advance the care she provides. She currently speaks on leadership topics and writes a monthly column for Optometric Management entitled Inspired. Lead. Succeed.

In addition to her optometric leadership, Dr. Carlson is a 2020 graduate from the University of Jamestown with a Masters of Arts in Leadership. She is also a John Maxwell certified speaker and trainer. In 2021, she was trained on the use of Avion Consulting’s Five Coaching Conversations coaching model, a research-based model for maximizing people’s performance and potential.

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