BRISTOL, R.I.— VOSH/International has named Carl A. Sakovits, OD, its 2013 Humanitarian of the Year. He has been providing eyecare here for over 20 years to the residents of the East Bay and beyond. Presented each year, the VOSH Humanitarian Award honors a member who has distinguished himself or herself through leadership, invention and public health practice or by transitioning clinics to sustainable eyecare. The award will be presented to Sakovits at the VOSH/International Meeting in San Juan, Puerto Rico, which is being held Oct. 10-11, 2013.

Sakovits is a graduate of the State University of New York (SUNY) College of Optometry and was its first recipient of the Alumni of the Year Award. He is also a recipient of the Dr. Max Cohen Memorial Award for outstanding volunteer commitment to community service and the Dr. Louis Herman Memorial Award for dedication and commitment to the Volunteer Optometric Services to Humanity. He is the founder of the Student Volunteer Optometric Services to Humanity at the SUNY State College of Optometry and the past president. He also founded the Northeast Volunteer Optometric Services to Humanity and has served as its president for the past 25 years. He has organized and led over 25 multi-disciplinary medical missions to Honduras, Guatemala, Nicaragua and El Salvador.

Sakovits is also a member of the American Optometric Association and the Rhode Island Optometric Association, and he is a past member of the The Eye Care Specialty Advisory Committee at Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Rhode Island and The Quality Assurance and Peer Review Committee of Rhode Island Managed Eyecare.