[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 12]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 16828-16829]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                  IN RECOGNITION OF DR. ANDREA P. THAU

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. CAROLYN B. MALONEY

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, December 20, 2016

  Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York. Mr. Speaker, I rise in 
recognition of Dr. Andrea P. Thau, President-Elect of the American 
Optometric Association (AOA), who will be installed as its 95th 
President during the 119th Congress of the AOA's House of Delegates.
  Dr. Thau, a native of the 12th Congressional District in New York, 
was first elected to the American Optometric Association Board of 
Trustees in 2007, and has served as its vice president, Speaker of the 
House Pro Tem, and Chair of the AOA Investment Committee. She is a 
Fellow of the American Academy of Optometry, a Fellow of the College of 
Optometrists in Vision Development, a Distinguished Practitioner on the 
National Academies of Practice, and a Diplomate of the American Board 
of Optometry. Dr. Thau is also a faculty member, associate clinical 
professor, and former chair of the Admissions Committee at SUNY College 
of Optometry, where she received her doctorate.
  Prior to her election to the AOA Board, Dr. Thau broke new ground as 
the first woman president of the New York State Optometric Association, 
the New York Academy of Optometry, and the Optometric Society of the 
City of New York. She has continually used her expertise and success in 
her field to serve the public, especially children. She is a founding 
member of the New York Children's Vision Coalition as well as the AOA's 
InfantSEE committee, a national program that provides vision 
assessments to babies at no cost. She has advocated for children's 
vision at both the state and national level. Dr. Thau is also the owner 
of a private practice in Manhattan, Dr. Andrea P. Thau and Associates, 
which serves as a full-scope primary care practice with a

[[Page 16829]]

special emphasis on children's vision and vision therapy.
  Dr. Thau has been lauded by her peers for her excellence in optometry 
and has received numerous awards for her outstanding work, including 
the 2005 New York State Optometrist of the Year and SUNY Optometry 
Alumna of the Year. She has also been recognized twice as Vision 
Monday's 20 Most Influential Women in Optical.
  Dr. Thau has long stood out as an example of extraordinary dedication 
and brilliance in her field. She was a stellar student at the Bronx 
High School of Science and completed her undergraduate studies at SUNY 
Albany before attending the SUNY College of Optometry. Since then, Dr. 
Thau has practiced optometry for nearly three decades, consistently 
providing first-rate eye care to her clients.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing Dr. Andrea 
P. Thau for her outstanding work in the field of optometry and her 
tireless efforts to provide accessible eye care and eye health 
education to her community and the general public.

                          ____________________