Dr O’Neil is the Co-Owner of Last Frontier Eye Care in Nome, Alaska, founded in late 2020 with Co-Owner, Dr Kamey Kapp. With 12 years of professional experience in optometry, Dr. O’Neil takes pride in caring for her patients with various vision needs.
In 2006, Dr. O’Neil earned a Bachelor of Science in Biology and Chemistry Degree from Missouri State University. She then graduated with her Doctor of Optometry Degree in 2010 from the University of Missouri in St. Louis. Lastly, in 2017, Dr. O’Neil earned her Master of Science Degree in Healthcare Administration and Management from Champlain College located in Burlington, Vermont.
After graduating with her doctorate, Dr. O’Neil commenced her career by providing eye care to people of Western Alaska within the Norton Sound region. While in Alaska, Dr. O’Neil recognized her desire to serve her country and joined the United States Air Force. From 2011 until 2014, Dr. O’Neil had the privilege of serving in the United Kingdom as a member of the 48th Fighter Wing at RAF Lakenheath, providing comprehensive eye care to Europe’s largest fighter wing.
After 2014, Dr. O’Neil continued to serve in the Air National Guard as Chief of Optometry for both the 158th Fighter Wing in Burlington, Vermont, and the 175th Fighter Wing in Middle River, Maryland. Throughout her professional career, Dr. O’Neil has been grateful for the opportunity to serve on humanitarian missions in both military and civilian capacities. A defining moment in Dr. O’Neil’s career was being given the opportunity to work with and immerse herself into the Masaai culture in Kenya with the Me to We Foundation. For her exceptional service, Dr. O’Neil has been awarded the Meritorious Service Medal, two Commendation Medals, and Achievement Medals. She was recognized for her dedication, achievements, and leadership in Optometry by Marquis Who’s Who in March 2021.
In her current capacity, she is the Co-Owner of Last Frontier Eye Care based in Nome, Alaska, and the President of Tundra Health Initiative, a non-profit organization both she and Dr. Kapp started to increase access to eye care to the youth of rural Alaska. From 2010 until Spring 2021, Dr. O’Neil served the people of the Norton Sound region as a staff optometrist in both part-time and full-time capacities. This allowed her to accommodate a healthy work-life balance in conjunction with her husband’s active duty commitments. One of the highlights providing for residents of the Norton Sound region is traveling to their communities, 15 remote villages along the Bering Sea, and experiencing their culture and traditions firsthand.
Dr. O’Neil was featured in a May 2020 article by UMSL Daily called “Optometry on the edge of the Earth: A clinical rotation in Nome, Alaska, fosters cultural exchange, cutting-edge practice.” The article follows Dr. O’Neil and her optometry students as they endure arctic conditions to serve the Native Alaskan communities along the US-Russian border. About the job, she says, “You’re working with people who live on the edge of the earth. It’s a normal day when a patient will come in and say, ‘I was chopping up a whale, and I got some bone in my eye.’ We’re getting to see things that you would never get to in the Lower 48, and we become close to the patients…Nome is a special place.”
Outside of her professional life, Dr. O’Neil was a Master’s swim coach at Clayton Shaw Park Swim Club from 2007 until 2010 when she moved to Alaska. She is currently an assistant swim coach for the Nome Northstar Swim Team leading technical workshops for all swim levels.
Dr. O’Neil is excited for the opportunity to grow both her private practice and philanthropic endeavors to continually increase access to eye care to underserved populations and conduct humanitarian work worldwide.
