Dr. Pat Segu is a retired clinical professor and distinguished leader in optometry, with more than 30 years of dedicated service to the University of Houston College of Optometry and the broader community. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Microbiology and Cell Science from the University of Florida and her Doctor of Optometry degree from the University of Houston, followed by a hospital-based residency at the American Lake VA Hospital in Tacoma, Washington.
Dr. Segu holds a therapeutic optometry license in Texas with glaucoma privileges. She is a Fellow of the American Academy of Optometry and a Diplomate of the American Board of Optometry. She is also an active member of the Texas Optometric Association, the American Optometric Association, the Texas Public Health Association, and the American Public Health Association.
Throughout her career, Dr. Segu has held numerous influential leadership roles. She served as Chair of the Vision Care Sections for both the American Public Health Association and as the founding Chair for the Texas Public Health Association Vision Care Section. She also chaired the Vision and Aging Special Interest Group within the American Academy of Optometry and led the communication module for the Flom Leadership Program. In addition, she served as Board Chair for Prevent Blindness Texas and led the Faculty Liaison Committee for the American Optometric Association.
At the University of Houston, Dr. Segu directed the Clinical Teaching Fellowship Program and the Primary Care Residency Program for several years, where she mentored the next generation of optometrists. Her dedication to teaching students, residents, and early-career optometrists has created a pipeline of compassionate providers who carry forward the commitment with compassion and purpose. She also played a pivotal role in leading the See to Succeed Houston Vision Collaboration Project, a groundbreaking initiative aimed at expanding access to vision care for children in underserved communities.
Her commitment to education, public health, and community outreach has been widely recognized at the local, state, and national levels. She is the recipient of numerous honors, including the 2023 Henry B. Peters Memorial Award, the 2020 Mollie Armstrong Leadership Award, the 2020 Texas Public Health Association Vision Care Section Distinguished Service Award, and the 2015 Distinguished Service Award from the American Public Health Association Vision Care Section. She also received the 2014 University of Houston Teaching Excellence Award in Community Engagement and was named the 2013 Texas Optometric Association Educator of the Year. In recognition of her transformative leadership in advancing childhood vision care, Mayor Sylvester Turner proclaimed May 15, 2019, as Dr. Pat Segu Day in the City of Houston.
Dr. Segu has devoted her career to advancing access to vision care, mentoring future optometrists, and serving communities through innovative outreach initiatives and service. Her work has changed lives, strengthened communities, and advanced the profession in ways that will be felt for decades to come.