“I’m certified to do injections, so I jumped at the chance to use that training, and I recognized how important it was to get everyone who can legally deliver a vaccine trained to do it, for this moment and for the future,” says Brandon. Lawrence Lernor (BS ’79) receives a saline injection from his son, Brandon, during training to deliver COVID-19 vaccines.
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Soon after, the Illinois Optometric Association partnered with the Illinois College of Optometrists (ICO) to provide a free training course to verify optometrists’ ability to administer COVID-19 vaccinations.īrandon Lernor, who owns Windy City Eye Care, dba Pearl Optical, in McHenry, Ill., says it was a no-brainer to participate in the vaccination training because he was already trained and certified to give conjunctival injections.
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When pharmacists began administering COVID-19 vaccinations, Lernor jumped in, learning how to prepare and deliver the new vaccines, then trained his Costco colleagues. We’re not done, so I’ve been doing whatever it takes to get more people protected from COVID-19.” Interprofessional training “I’m not in it for the accolades,” says Lawrence. “We are grateful and appreciative of him helping optometry join in this charge to fulfill the important role of providing vaccinations.” “Lawrence Lernor went above and beyond,” says Tim Cundiff, president and chairman of the Illinois Optometric Association board. Overall, Lawrence trained about 60 optometrists to administer vaccines, leading the Illinois Optometric Association to honor him with the 2021 Dr. “He’s done tens of thousands of vaccines, and he helped train other Chicago-area pharmacists when they were first given the ability to administer vaccines.” “The call was put out for health professionals who currently have vaccination as part of their scope to train and certify optometrists, and I knew my dad would be perfect,” says Brandon Lernor, who serves on the board of directors for the Illinois Optometric Association. Floyd Mizener Friend of Optometry Award being presented to Lawrence Lernor (BS ’79) (center). Lernor’s son, Brandon, who serves on the board of directors for the Illinois Optometric Association, invited him to train optometrists to administer COVID-19 vaccines, and he immediately said yes. In March 2021, optometrists in Illinois were granted the authority to administer COVID-19 vaccinations - but they needed to be trained. In addition to vaccinating hundreds of community members against COVID-19 as a pharmacy manager at Costco, he also leapt at the opportunity to extend his reach and impact. “Anytime someone wants a vaccine, I’ll do it.”
“We need all hands on deck we need everybody and anybody,” says Lernor, an alum of the University of Wisconsin–Madison School of Pharmacy. Witnessing that historic success stoked his own passion for vaccination, which was rekindled when the chance arose to help administer vaccinations against a new and destructive pandemic: COVID-19. He received his own oral polio vaccine in the eighth grade. He remembers seeing photos of polio patients in iron lungs and the public’s near universal eagerness to be vaccinated against the dangerous disease. Lawrence Lernor (BS ‘79) was born in the middle of the race toward a safe and effective polio vaccine. Alum Lawrence Lernor is recognized by Illinois Optometric Association for providing interprofessional COVID-19 vaccine training By Katie Ginder-Vogel
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