WEI Event Features Distinguished Bobier and Woodruff Keynote Lectures

Friday, October 3 2025 | 11 h 21 min | News

The upcoming Waterloo Eye Institute (WEI) event will highlight two keynote lectures that honour the legacy of Canadian optometric leaders while showcasing the insights of today’s vision science experts.

Annual Woodruff Lecture – Friday

The Annual Woodruff Lecture, established in 1994, recognizes the many contributions of Dr. Emerson Woodruff to the School of Optometry and the profession he served with distinction.

This year’s lecture will be delivered by Dr. Barbara Caffery, a respected leader in Canadian optometry. Dr. Caffery graduated from the New England College of Optometry in 1977 and earned her PhD in Vision Science from the University of Waterloo in 2009, with a focus on Sjögren’s Syndrome. She has published extensively in the areas of contact lenses and dry eye disease. After retiring from clinical practice in 2023, she continues to hold a research position at Toronto Eye Care and is currently enrolled in the MFA programme at Pacific University.

Clair Bobier Distinguished Lecture in Vision – Saturday

The Clair Bobier Distinguished Lecture in Vision honours Dr. Clair Bobier, whose leadership and vision were pivotal in the establishment of the University of Waterloo School of Optometry and its research-driven curriculum.

This year’s lecture will be presented by Dr. Elizabeth (Beth) Irving, professor emeritus and adjunct professor at the School of Optometry and Vision Science, University of Waterloo. She is affiliated with the Eye Research Institute of Canada and the Department of Ophthalmology at the University of Toronto.

Dr. Irving’s research focuses on ocular development and oculomotor function, with a particular interest in how the eye and visual system adapt to environmental influences—whether from daily living, disease, or its treatment. She has published extensively on these topics and remains actively engaged in advancing the field of vision science.

Honouring Legacy, Inspiring the Future

Together, the Woodruff Lecture (Friday) and the Bobier Lecture (Saturday) will headline the WEI event, celebrating the enduring influence of Dr. Emerson Woodruff and Dr. Clair Bobier while providing attendees with fresh insights from two of Canada’s most accomplished optometric researchers.

📅 The Woodruff Lecture will take place on Friday, followed by the Bobier Lecture on Saturday.

The 3-day event offers optometrists 20 COPE-accredited (pending) hours plus exclusive access to our industry trade show! The parallel, one-day optometric staff program provides 6 hours of continuing education for optometric assistants, ophthalmic technicians, office managers and front desk staff from optometric offices and clinics. 

View the complete agenda of speakers and events.