Livestream the Tuesday, November 4 program, 9:00AM – 4:30PM: https://necolivestream.org

Equipping Graduates for a New Era of Care NOVEMBER 3 & 4, 2025 IN BOSTON NECO'S 2025 INDUSTRY COLLABORATIVE VIEW AGENDA Reimagining Optometry Equipping Graduates for a New Era of Care NOVEMBER 3 & 4, 2025 IN BOSTON NECO'S 2025 INDUSTRY COLLABORATIVE VIEW AGENDA Reimagining Optometry Equipping Graduates for a New Era of Care NOVEMBER 3 & 4, 2025 IN BOSTON NECO'S 2025 INDUSTRY COLLABORATIVE VIEW AGENDA Reimagining Optometry Equipping Graduates for a New Era of Care NOVEMBER 3 & 4, 2025 IN BOSTON NECO'S 2025 INDUSTRY COLLABORATIVE VIEW AGENDA Reimagining Optometry Equipping Graduates for a New Era of Care NOVEMBER 3 & 4, 2025 IN BOSTON NECO'S 2025 INDUSTRY COLLABORATIVE VIEW AGENDA Reimagining Optometry

Welcome to the 2025 Industry Collaborative

MONDAY EVENING PROGRAM

  • Location: NECO, 424 Beacon Street, Boston, MA 02115

  • Doors open: 5:30PM

  • Parking: Limited, first-come/first-served. Please plan accordingly; rideshare or mass transit is recommended.


TUESDAY PROGRAM

  • Venue: WBUR CitySpace, 890 Commonwealth Ave, Boston, MA 02215

  • Arrival window: 8:00–8:30AM (breakfast available before opening remarks)

  • Driving/Parking information: https://necoindustrycollaborative.org/location/

    Transit: Green Line (B branch) to Amory St stop.

  • Street parking: Limited metered spots on Commonwealth Ave., St. Paul St., and nearby side streets.

  • Nearby garages (walkable):

    • Essex Street Garage – 148 Essex Street Brookline, MA

    • Agganis Arena Lot – 925 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston, MA

Agenda

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 2025

LOCATION
New England College of Optometry
424 Beacon Street, Boston

5:30–7:00PM
Networking & Dinner at NECO

7:00–9:00PM
Student Innovation Award Presentation

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 2025

LOCATION
WBUR/CitySpace
890 Commonwealth Avenue, Brookline/Boston border


8:00 AM
Registration desk opens

 

9:00–9:15 AM
Opening Remarks & Welcome 

                                                     

9:15–10:00 AM
Opening Keynote with Joshua Baker, OD, MS
President & CEO, Midwestern University

 

10:00–10:15 AM
Morning Break

 

10:15–11:30 AM
SESSION 1
Strengthening the Foundation: Science, Curriculum & Clinical Readiness

 

11:30–12:30 PM
SESSION 2
Tech-Forward, Patient-Centered Innovation

 

12:30–1:15 PM
Lunch

 

1:15–2:15 PM
SESSION 3
Beyond the Bench: How Industry Powers Education & Student Success

 

2:15–2:30 PM
Afternoon Break

 

2:30–3:30 PM
Closing Keynote with  Joseph Aoun, PhD
President, Northeastern University

 

3:30–4:15 PM
Roundtable: The Optometrist of the Future

Speakers

Joshua Baker, OD, MS, the new President and CEO of Midwestern University, will join us on Tuesday, November 4 to present the Industry Collaborative’s opening keynote address.

As president of a multi-disciplinary health sciences university, Dr. Baker will share his perspective on how health professions education is evolving in response to advances in technology and changing care models. He will explore how optometry compares to other fields, and how institutions are preparing students for long-term adaptability by defining what knowledge is essential, what level of mastery is needed, and how to balance scientific depth with clinical and human skills. His keynote will highlight the enduring importance of core science in helping graduates adopt new technologies, understand emerging treatments, and lead through change.

Joseph E. Aoun, PhD, a well-known higher education thought leader and renowned scholar in linguistics, is the seventh President of Northeastern University.

An internationally respected voice on the value of higher education, President Aoun has led the global expansion of Northeastern’s signature co-op program, bringing experiential learning opportunities to more than 140 countries. During his tenure, the University has created a global university system spanning 13 campuses across North America and the UK, increased external research funding sevenfold, and hired more than 800 tenured and tenure-track faculty.

He is the author of numerous articles and books, including Robot-Proof: Higher Education in the Age of Artificial Intelligence. In it, he expands on his initial blueprint for colleges and universities to meet the challenges and opportunities associated with the transformative effects of artificial intelligence. The book outlines three primary strategies through an updated lens: the importance of a new curriculum for the A.I. age called “humanics”; the case for experiential learning, the ideal delivery system for this new curriculum; and a call for higher education to place lifelong learning at the heart of the educational enterprise.