Dr. Katherine Weise, OD, MBA, FAAO

Birmingham, AB

Dr. Kathy Weise, a respected optometrist and professor, hails from Denver, Iowa where her parents - a first grade teacher and a high school math teacher and football coach - fostered her love for helping children and athletes. Weise earned her undergraduate degree from Iowa State University, and was inspired to pursue optometry after visiting her uncle, Bob Niemann, who was also an optometrist. She later attended the Illinois College of Optometry in Chicago, where she received her degree in 1995. Weise then completed a residency in family practice with a focus on pediatrics at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, where she joined the faculty the following year and became a Professor of Optometry in 2015. In addition to her work in optometry, Weise earned her MBA from the UAB School of Business in 2004 and helped develop the nation's first joint OD/MBA program in 2016.

In 2004, Kathy Weise took on the role of Director of Pediatric Optometry Services at UAB, following in the footsteps of her mentor, Wendy Marsh-Tootle. Since then, she has dedicated herself to providing high-quality eye care for more than 50,000 children. Weise has also been instrumental in maintaining the strong relationship between UAB's School of Optometry and Sight Savers, which began in 1997.

Dr. Weise played a key role in the Correction of Myopia Evaluation Trial, a 14-year study funded by the NIH that demonstrated the effectiveness of an optical intervention in slowing the growth of the human eye. More recently, she was selected to co-chair a study on myopia and low-dose atropine, funded by the NIH and led by the Pediatric Eye Disease Investigator Group (PEDIG), in collaboration with Mike Repka of Johns Hopkins University. In 2019, Weise was also chosen to serve as PEDIG's national vice chair, working alongside Sue Cotter of Southern California College of Optometry and Johnathan Holmes of the Mayo Clinic. PEDIG is a national network of pediatric ophthalmologists and optometrists who conduct clinical trials to find ways to improve vision in children.

In addition to her work on a national level, Dr. Weise has also made significant contributions to the local community. In 2013, she helped optometry, physical therapy, and pediatric neurosurgery secure a grant from the UAB HSF-GEF to study the vestibular ocular reflex in pediatric concussion. This led to the creation of the mTBEye Concussion Clinic in partnership with Children's of Alabama in 2014. Weise has also followed in the footsteps of her father and uncle by establishing BlazerVision, a collaboration between optometry and ophthalmology that provides support to UAB athletes. Weise is a passionate supporter of UAB athletics and can often be found cheering on the Blazers alongside her husband, Lance, and their three children - Ella, Blake, and Luke - at athletic events.

Awards and Honors:

  • UAB President’s Award for Excellence in Teaching for the School of Optometry, June 2019

  • Sight Savers America Hall W. Thompson Hero for Sight Award to honor individuals or organizations whose impact on children’s eye care in the state of Alabama has been both lasting and profound, March 2019

  • Pediatric Eye Disease Investigator Group Vice Chair, January 2019 to present

  • University of Alabama at Birmingham Healthcare Leadership Academy, October 2012 to May 2013

  • United Cerebral Palsy of Greater Birmingham’s Life Without Limits Outstanding Volunteer Award with UAB Eye Care, January 2010

  • Recipient, NIH Loan Repayment Program, August 2003 to 2007

  • Fellow in the American Academy of Optometry, 2000 to present

  • Clinical Instructor of the Year, UAB Optometry, 1996-1997

  • Gold Key International Optometric Honor Society, President

  • Tomb and Key National Optometric Honor Society

  • Beta Sigma Kappa National Optometric Honor Society

  • Phi Beta Kappa National Honor Society

  • Mortar Board National Honor Society

  • Phi Kappa Phi National Honor Society

  • Golden Key National Honor Society

  • Pediatric/Binocular Vision Award of Distinction, Illinois College of Optometry

  • Presidential Scholarship, Illinois College of Optometry

  • Pediatric Research Team Awards – UAB Pediatric Optometry Service

    • PEDIG Site of the Year, 2018

    • PEDIG Site of the Month: November 2018, March 2011, November 2008, November 2006

    • PEDIG Performance Award – Top recruiter, August 2007

    • PEDIG Performance Award, 2004

    • CITT – Clinical center with highest CITT Grade Point Average in Period 1 – June 2006