About Our College | Administration

Professor Smith received his OD (1972) and PhD (1978) from the University of Houston and subsequently joined the faculty of the UH College of Optometry. During his tenure in the College of Optometry, he has served as the Chair of the Basic Sciences Department and as the Associate Dean for Graduate Studies and Research. Professor Smith currently holds the Greeman-Petty Professorship in Vision Development and is serving as the Dean of the College of Optometry.

Professor Smith’s research interests are focused on the optics of the eye. He received the Glenn Fry Award (1996) and the Prentice Medal (2010) from the American Academy of Optometry for his research on the role of vision in regulating refractive development and eye growth. Professor Smith has published over 150 referenced papers and received 29 years of research funding from the National Institute of Health's (NIH) National Eye Institute (NEI). He is also an accomplished lecturer, having received teaching awards at the department, college and university level and in 2003 was selected by the Texas Optometric Association as its Educator of the Year.

Professor Smith is an active member of the vision science community. He is a Fellow of the American Academy of Optometry, an ARVO Fellow (inaugural class), a past President of the American Optometric Foundation (2002), a past Member and Chair of NIH NEI's Central Visual Processing Study Section (1998-2003) and a past member of NIH's National Advisory Eye Council (2005-2008). Professor Smith currently serves on the Board of Directors of Prevent Blindness Texas, as the Secretary of the Partnership Foundation for Optometric Education, and as the Past-President of the Association of Schools and Colleges of Optometry.

Dr. Frishman received her undergraduate degree from Vassar College in Poughkeepsie N.Y. and her MS and PhD in psychology from the University of Pittsburgh. She did postdoctoral training in visual neuroscience at Northwestern University and the University of California San Francisco where she also was a research faculty member. She joined the Optometry faculty in the College of Optometry in 1990, and she has taught in both the professional and graduate programs. Her research has focused on refining noninvasive electrophysiological approaches for evaluating retinal and anterior visual pathway function in normal subjects and subjects with inherited or acquired diseases that affect visual function.

Dr. Frishman is on the editorial board of Translational Vision Science and Technology (TVST) an academic editor for Plos One, and she was Editor-in-Chief of the journal, Visual Neuroscience (2001-2007), and Documenta Ophthalmologica (2006-2013). She has served on federal grant review panels, the NIH/NEI National Advisory Eye Council, and she is a fellow of the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (FARVO), American Academy of Optometry (FAAO) and a board member of the International Society for the Clinical Electrophysiology of Vision (ISCEV). 

Marcus G. Piccolo, O.D. received his optometric training in Philadelphia, where he attended the Pennsylvania College of Optometry. He moved to Houston in 1980 to join the faculty of the University of Houston College of Optometry. While at the University of Houston, Dr. Piccolo held posts as the Director of the Contact Lens Services, Chief of Primary Care Services, Coordinator of Ophthalmology Services and Chair of the Department of Clinical Sciences. Dr. Piccolo is currently an Associate Professor, and the Associate Dean for Professional Advancement at the University of Houston College of Optometry. He is certified as a Therapeutic Optometrist and an Optometric Glaucoma Specialist and his interests include contact lens practice, diagnosis and management of ocular disease and laser and other refractive procedures. In addition, Dr. Piccolo is a Past President of the Texas Optometric Association and currently serves as the Chair of the TOA Legal and Legislative Committee. Dr. Piccolo was honored in 1991 by being named the ""Young Optometrist of the Year"" and in 1999 by being named the “Optometrist of the Year” by the Texas Optometric Association. Dr. Piccolo received the William D. Pittman Leadership Award for outstanding leadership and unflagging support for the Optometric Profession and the prestigious Cora and J. Davis Armistead Faculty Teaching Award in 2002 both from the University of Houston College of Optometry. He is also a member of the American Optometric Association, where he is the past Chair of the AOA New Technologies Committee and a sitting member of the Federal Relations Committee. He is a Fellow in the American Academy of Optometry and is a Past President of the South West Council of Optometrists. Dr. Piccolo currently sits on the American Medical Association Eye Care Work Group, which is responsible for developing quality standards for eye care providers in the US. In addition to his academic pursuits, Dr. Piccolo maintains a private practice in Houston, Texas. 

Nicky R. Holdeman, O.D., M.D., is a Professor and Associate Dean for Clinical Education, and the Executive Director of the University Eye Institute at the University of Houston.  Dr. Holdeman received his optometric degree at the University of Houston and his medical training from Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center in Lubbock, and the University of Texas, Southwestern in Dallas.

Dr. Holdeman has lectured internationally on various medical and ophthalmic topics.  He is on the editorial board and review board for various journals and has served as a medical consultant for several law firms.  Dr. Holdeman is an author and co-editor of “Ocular Therapeutic Handbook: A Clinical Manual”, (1^st, 2^nd and 3^rd editions) and an author and section editor for “Clinical Ocular Pharmacology’ (4^th and 5^th editions) by Bartlett and Jaanus. 

Dr. Holdeman is a former Committee Chairman for the National Board of Examiners in Optometry, has served on the State Medical Advisory Board for Prevent Blindness, is a member of the Academic Physicians Section of the American Medical Association and serves as Chair of the Community Health Improvement & Communications Committee and consultant to the Board of Medical Legislation for the Harris County Medical Society.

Dr. Lambreghts is a graduate of Pace University with an RN in Nursing and a BA in Biology. She worked as an orthopedic surgical nurse until entering optometry school. After graduating from SUNY College of Optometry in 1993, Dr. Lambreghts completed a dual residency in rehabilitative and primary care optometry at the Northport Veterans Administration Medical Center in Northport, NY. She served as staff optometrist at the Northport VAMC and an associate in private practice until coming to the UH College of Optometry in 1997. Currently she is a Clinical Associate Professor, Director of the Family Practice Service and serves as Family Practice Residency Director at the University Eye Institute. She is also a fellow of the American Academy of Optometry.

Dr. Ralph Herring is a native Texan and third-generation optometrist.   He was born and raised in Amarillo and came to the University of Houston to complete his undergraduate as well as Doctor of Optometry degrees.  This was followed by a Residency in Family Practice Optometry at the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Optometry.  Following one year of private practice in Lubbock, Dr. Herring returned to his alma mater to join the University of Houston faculty where he has now been for over thirty years.

Dr. Herring currently serves as the Assistant Dean for Professional Studies as well as the Director of External Education and Third-Year Clinic Course master...  As Director of External Education, Dr. Herring administers the senior level clinical training program which utilizes a network of over seventy affiliated public and private clinics located locally, statewide, and across the country.

Dr. Herring is a Clinical Professor and is a clinical instructor in multiple patient services in the University Eye Institute.  He has also served on many college committees.

Dr. Herring became a Diplomate of the American Board of Optometry in 2014. He completed a Master of Healthcare Administration degree from Texas Woman’s University in 2001.  Professional memberships include the American Optometric Association, the Texas Optometric Association and Beta Sigma Kappa.

Dr. Herring continues his family’s strong commitment to volunteer service.  He has been a Special Olympics volunteer for nearly 25 years and is now a Regional Clinical Advisor for the Special Olympics Lions Club International Opening Eyes program.  Dr. Herring also serves on the Board of Directors of Special Olympics Texas.  He has been a member of Lions Club International since 1983, and he currently serves on the Endowment Board of the Montrose Center

Melissa Mares received a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Houston-Clear Lake in 1996. She completed additional coursework at UHCL in the area of cross-cultural studies with a focus on anthropology, psychology and sociology. She joined UHCO in the fall of 2001 as the Director of Development overseeing college fundraising efforts, including the college’s capital campaign resulting in the Molly and Doug Barnes Vision Institute. Currently she serves as the Assistant Dean for Student Affairs and the Executive Director for Optometry Relations.

I received my undergraduate degree from the Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Pilani, India in 1992 majoring in Electronics Engineering. I then moved to the United States for graduate studies and completed a M.S and Ph.D. degree in 1998 in Biomedical Engineering from Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio. My work, carried out under the mentorship of Dr. John Leigh, primarily examined the interactions between visual-oculomotor and vestibular systems. I did post-doctoral work at the Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University with Dr. Michael Mustari from 1999 to 2002. During this time I learnt the technique of single cell extracellular recording in the awake-behaving monkey and also became interested in examining visual-oculomotor mechanisms in the strabismic primate. I was appointed to the faculty at Emory University in 2002 and received an independent investigator award from the National Institutes of Health in 2004 to study neural circuits mediating binocular coordination of eye movements in the strabismic monkey. I have since maintained continued NIH funding. I joined the faculty of the College of Optometry, University of Houston in 2009. The goal of research in my laboratory is to continue to uncover the disruption of neural processing in various brain areas in the strabismic monkeys. A better understanding of neural mechanisms that are affected in the different forms of strabismus will help develop rationally based therapy.