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We are practitioners of the healing arts defining the standard for excellence in optometric education and vision care.
Our D.O. medical school is nationally ranked and recognized for a reputation of excellence in rural medicine and family healthcare. UPIKE’s osteopathy program gives you a clear path to success in the medical field.
All of our graduate programs are offered in a convenient, online format. Explore our graduate programs and learn more about earning your master’s degree at UPIKE.
Located in the heart of the Appalachian Mountains, the Kentucky College of Optometry (KYCO) is the only college of optometry in Kentucky. Become part of a community of medical professionals providing vision care to those who need it most, and learn in an environment built with the future of optometry in mind. At KYCO, faculty, staff and administration embrace the expanded scope of optometric practice in Kentucky with unique clinical experiences and a challenging curriculum. KYCO students are afforded an abundance of rewarding clinical opportunities serving patients in need.
All equipment, textbooks and technology are provided at no additional cost to students.
Students serve patients from the blindest region in the U.S. in community clinics and hospitals.
Practice with new and advanced equipment and technology in KYCO’s innovative 103,000 square foot facility.
Twenty students from the University of Pikeville-Kentucky College of Optometry (KYCO) officially became student fellows of the American College of Optometry (AAO) during a recent pinning ceremony at the Hilton Garden Inn in Pikeville. Yousef Pippin, president of KYCO’s AAO student chapter; Katherine D. Dronka, O.D., ABCMO, FAAO, assistant professor of optometry; and Eilene Kinzer, […]
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The University of Pikeville-Kentucky College of Optometry (KYCO) held its White Coat Ceremony for the Class of 2021 on Saturday, May 11, 2019. The event was held in Booth Auditorium on UPIKE’s campus. The White Coat Ceremony is symbolic within the health professions, reflecting a commitment to patient care. After two years of a rigorous […]
Jeremy Penn, a member of the University of Pikeville-Kentucky College of Optometry (KYCO) inaugural Class of 2020, hails from a small town in northeast Ohio about the size of Pikeville, Ky. His family is in the auto-body business; Penn will be the first doctor in the family. Penn, KYCO’s 2018-2019 Student Government Association president, began earning […]
Katherine Dronka, O.D., ABCMO, assistant professor of optometry at the University of Pikeville-Kentucky College of Optometry, has earned the distinction of Fellow with the American Academy of Optometry (AAO).
Michael Bacigalupi, O.D., M.S., FAAO, dean of the University of Pikeville- Kentucky College of Optometry, has been named a Distinguished Fellow of the National Academies of Practice (NAP) in Optometry.
Experiencing another culture and learning from its health care practices are just some of the benefits four Kentucky College of Optometry (KYCO) students gained from their recent trip to China. The experience was led by KYCO Director of International Relations and Assistant Professor of Optometry Xiaojing Yu, Ph.D., O.D.
Students in the third class of the University of Pikeville-Kentucky College of Optometry (KYCO) have already embraced the university’s philanthropic culture.
The University of Pikeville-Kentucky College of Optometry (KYCO) Private Practice Club (PPC) was recently presented with the Student Optometric Leadership Network’s (SOLN) prestigious Preston Cup during the 8th annual leadership conference in Houston.
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