Annabelle Storch receives Young Optometrist Award from American Optometric Association
Honor recognizes early-career professionals who demonstrate leadership, service
Orange, Calif. — UCI Health Gavin Herbert Eye Institute optometrist Annabelle Storch, OD, has been recognized with The American Optometric Association’s (AOA) Young Optometrist Award.
Storch received the honor because of her dedication to pediatric eye care advocacy and education. At the eye institute, she provides comprehensive eye care, specializing in cornea, cataract, refractive services, uveitis and pediatric optometry. She also works with children throughout Orange County at the institute and aboard the UCI Health Eye Mobile for Children, which has provided vision services and screenings to underserved children at no cost since 2015.
Storch is an active leader in optometric organizations, serving as president of the Orange County Optometric Society and contributing to the AOA’s Telehealth Policy Council and New Technology Committee. She has also been involved in research and academic presentations, focusing on pediatric vision care and specialty contact lenses.
Recognized for her leadership and commitment to the profession, she has received multiple awards, including the George I. Deane, Jr. OD Memorial Leadership Award from the California Optometric Association. Storch continues to advocate for advancements in optometry and accessible eye care for all.
The Young Optometrist of the Year Award recognizes professionals who have been in practice for less than 10 years and demonstrate remarkable leadership when serving the profession, patients and the community.
About UCI Health
UCI Health, one of California’s largest academic health systems, is the clinical enterprise of the University of California, Irvine. The 1,317-bed system comprises its main campus UCI Medical Center, its flagship hospital in Orange, Calif., the UCI Health — Irvine medical campus, four hospitals and affiliated physicians of the UCI Health Community Network in Orange and Los Angeles counties and a network of ambulatory care centers across the region. UCI Medical Center provides tertiary and quaternary care and is home to the only Orange County-based National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center, high-risk perinatal/neonatal program and American College of Surgeons-verified Level I adult and Level II pediatric trauma center, gold level 1 geriatric emergency department and regional burn center. Powered by UC Irvine, UCI Health serves nearly 5.7 million people in Orange County, western Riverside County and southeast Los Angeles County. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and X (formerly Twitter).