Bios
Lighthouse International can offer you experts in many areas of the low vision field. Below are bios of just a few of the individuals available for interviews, profiles, and more.
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President and Chief Executive Officer
Bruce P. Rosenthal, O.D., F.A.A.O.
Chief of Low Vision Programs
Tara A. Cortes, RN, PhD, a distinguished leader in health care for 38 years, joined Lighthouse International as President and CEO in June 2005 to spearhead the then 100-year-old organization as it moves into its second century of leadership as the premier resource worldwide for helping people of all ages overcome the challenges of vision loss.
Previously, Dr. Cortes was Senior Vice President and Chief Nursing Officer, Patient Care Operations at Yale New Haven Health System's Bridgeport Hospital, with oversight of all nursing and ancillary services related to patient care for the tertiary teaching hospital and a $90 million budget.
Dr. Cortes, who also serves as Clinical Professor at Yale University's School of Nursing Program, has extensive clinical, managerial, administrative, research and academic experience, having worked for several of New York City's premier academic healthcare facilities throughout her career. These include The Mount Sinai Hospital, where she was the Director of Primary Care and Medical Services, as well as Associate Hospital Director; The Rockefeller University Hospital; Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center; Hunter College School of Nursing; and New York University Medical Center.
A graduate of Villanova University and New York University, where she received her PhD in Nursing Science and Research, Dr. Cortes was named a Fellow in the highly competitive and prestigious Robert Wood Johnson Executive Nurse Fellow Program in 1999. She was Associate Professor (tenured) at Hunter College of the CUNY School of Nursing for over 20 years.
Dr. Cortes is the recipient of numerous grants, as well as professional and academic honors, including the 1999 NYU Grace E. Davidson Award in Recognition of an Outstanding Administrator Contributing to Nursing Education. Author of numerous peer-reviewed publications, Dr. Cortes is also a member of the Villanova University Board of Trustees.
Dr. Bruce P. Rosenthal is the Chief of the Low Vision Clinical Practice at Lighthouse International in New York City. He is also a Professor and Chief of Low Vision Service at the Mt. Sinai Faculty Practice Plan and Distinguished Adjunct Professor at the State University of New York. He currently serves on the Executive Board of the AMD Alliance International as well as being the Chair of the Scientific Advisory Board. He is the Chair of the Low Vision Section of the American Optometric Association, a Diplomate in low vision of the American Academy Optometry as well as being a past-chair of both the Low Vision Section Low Vision Diplomate programs.
Dr. Rosenthal has received many prestigious awards for his work in low vision at home and around the world including the Bietti Award from the IAPB (Italian branch of the International Association for the Blind) and the highest award given by the American Academy of Optometry, the William Feinbloom award. His lecturing has taken him around the world including China, Dubai, Singapore, and South Africa. He has, as well, been involved in the publication of many scientific publications as well as being the Editor or Co-editor of eight books on low vision including The Lighthouse Oxford Press Handbook on Vision Impairment and Vision Rehabilitation.