Marlee Spafford

Professor

Director, School of Optometry (interim)

Associate Dean of Science for Optometry(interim)

OD, MSc (Waterloo), PhD (Toronto), FAAO

Email: mspaffor@uwaterloo.ca
Telephone: (519) 888-4567 ext. 36286
Fax: (519) 725-0784
Office: OPT 337
Lab: OPT 374
Website: Interdisciplinary Health Communication Research Collective

Biography

Dr. Marlee M. Spafford completed her Doctor of Optometry (1982) and Master of Science (1985) degrees at the University of Waterloo (UW) before joining the faculty at UW's School of Optometry in 1985. Her MSc degree provided training in visual electrophysiological studies of human vision, an area that formed her initial research program and enabled her on-going patient care and clinical teaching in visual electrophysiology. For almost 20 years, she has been the Head of UW's on-site Visual Electrodiagnostic Clinic. In 1998, Dr. Spafford obtained her Doctor of Philosophy degree from the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education/University of Toronto. Her doctorate in Theory & Policy Studies in Education informed the transition of her research program; she studies aspects of healthcare professional education, communication, socialization and equity. Her research approach allows her to collaborate with researchers in healthcare, communication and social sciences. Dr. Spafford has won seven teaching awards while teaching optometry courses in communication, ethics, systemic disease, clinical techniques, and case analysis. Her major administrative appointments at the UW School of Optometry include Admission Officer (1986-1997), Clinic Director (1997-2003), and Associate Director (since 2006). Dr. Spafford sits on the Editorial Board of the journal, Optometric Education, and she has recently become a consultant for the Accreditation Council on Optometric Education.

Research

• Healthcare professional education, communication, socialization and equity
• Professional gatekeeping
• Service delivery
• Approved PhD supervisor

Clinic duties

• Registered optometrist, O.D. (Waterloo)
• Supervising clinician
• Head, Visual Electrodiagnostic Clinic

Teaching interests

• Communication, ethics, systemic disease, visual electrophysiology, clinical techniques, case analysis

Undergraduate courses

• OPTOM 115 - Systemic Disease
• OPTOM 260 - Professional Ethics and Optometric Communication
• OPTOM 458 - Primary Care Externship
• OPTOM 460 - Advanced Study Topics
• OPTOM 468 - Ocular Disease and Therapeutics Externship
• OPTOM 478 - Optometry Clinics

Graduate courses

• OPTOM 608 - Special Topics in Vision Science
  • Issues in Optometric Education
  • Issues in Communication
  • Professional Identity Formation
• OPTOM 628 - Special Topics in Vision Science
  • Visual Electrophysiology

Additional information

• A full description of research activities, publications, teaching activities and professional activities is available at the Interdisciplinary Health Communication Research Collective website.