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Home » What's New » Valley Vision Clinic of Walla Walla is proud to announce that our very own Dr. Justin Dalke was just named the Young OD of the year for Washington.

Valley Vision Clinic of Walla Walla is proud to announce that our very own Dr. Justin Dalke was just named the Young OD of the year for Washington.

Dalke OPW Award

Photo caption: Dr. Justin Dalke (L) is presented with the OPW OD of the Year Award by Dr. Lonnie Ness. Both are optometrists at Valley Vision Clinic in Walla Walla.

WALLA WALLA – September 30, 2020— The Optometric Physicians of Washington (OPW) have honored Dr. Justin Dalke, of Valley Vision Clinic, with their 2020 Young OD of the Year Award. The honor was presented virtually due to COVID-19 by Dr. Lonnie Ness, a senior optometrist at Valley Vision.

“During the workday, patients and staff see us in the office, seeing patients. But we are also very busy in the community, and Dr. Dalke is a great example of that,” said Ness, noting that Dalke is active in Rotary, serves as the current president of the local optometric society, and co-chair of the OPW legislative and WOPAC committees.

“Justin has been an exemplary member of the association and an outstanding advocate of the profession,” added Dr. Paul Jensen, an optometrist and OPW board member. “Justin is wonderful in his practice and active in the community, and is the perfect example of what a young OD should be.”

In a video presentation to the association, Dr. Dalke thanked his colleagues for honoring him with the award.

“I just wanted to say thank you. I am humbled and honored by this award,” said Dalke. “It’s something that I greatly value. I look forward to seeing where this profession goes and what’s in store for us in the next 30 years.”

The Young OD of the Year Award honors an optometrist who has been in practice for less than 10 years, and who has demonstrated exemplary service to the community, the general public and to the optometric profession.

Dalke joined Valley Vision Clinic in 2015. He graduated from Walla Walla University with a Bachelor of Science in Health in 2010 and then went on to earn his Doctorate of Optometry in 2015 from Pacific University College of Optometry.

Since graduating, Dr. Dalke regularly participates in school vision screenings and health fairs, and has presented at the local hospital and health care programs. In 2016, he joined Canvasback Missions in an ophthalmology mission trip to the Marshall Islands, helping provide eye care to the people of Ebeye. He hopes to continue in the spirit of service far into his career.

To find an eye care professional near you, or learn more about optometry, visit the Optometric Physicians of Washington online at https://eyes.org/.

We invite to view the full press release from The Optometric Physicians of Washington (OPW) here or view the original article at https://eyes.org/