Current Residents
PGY-2 Residents
Ahmad Abdel-Aty, MD
Dr. Abdel-Aty grew up in Orlando, Florida. He attended the University of Central Florida, where he graduated summa cum laude and Top Honor Graduate with a Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Sciences and a minor in Anthropology. He then attended Yale University, where he obtained his Medical Degree and Master of Health Sciences and completed his thesis on inflammatory eye disease. Returning home to Florida, Dr. Abdel-Aty completed his intern year at the University of Central Florida before starting ophthalmology residency. He enjoys writing, hiking, playing the violin, and spending time with family and friends.
Adam R. Bleeker, MD
South Dakota
Dr. Bleeker was born and raised in Mitchell, South Dakota. He completed his Bachelor of Arts in Chemistry and Mathematics at Northwestern College graduating summa cum laude. After college he attended the University of South Dakota Sanford School of Medicine for his medical degree and was inducted into the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Society. Dr. Bleeker then completed his Transitional Year at the University of South Dakota Sanford School of Medicine prior to starting ophthalmology residency. He enjoys playing golf and spending time with his wife, Brooke, and mini goldendoodle, Charlee.
Juliana C. Bryant, MD
Oklahoma
Dr. Bryant grew up in Tulsa, Oklahoma. She attended the University of Kansas where she completed a BA in Chemistry with a minor in Business, graduating with Highest Distinction. After undergrad, she went to the University of Oklahoma College of Medicine and was inducted into the Alpha Omega Alpha and Gold Humanism Honor Societies. In medical school, she developed a love and fascination for the field of ophthalmology. Prior to starting ophthalmology residency at DMEI, she completed her intern year in internal medicine at the University of Oklahoma. She enjoys cooking and baking, exercising, doing puzzles, playing tennis and spending time with her family, friends and husband, Saxon.
Mostafa “Moses” Khattab, DO
Oklahoma
Dr. Khattab was born and raised in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He attended Northeastern State University where he graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Science in Molecular Biology. He then attended medical school at Oklahoma State University, where he was inducted into the Sigma Sigma Phi Honor Society. Following medical school, he continued his medical training at Oklahoma State University, where he completed an internal medicine internship. He enjoys traveling, eating good food, spending time with family and friends, and watching and playing sports including Thunder basketball.
Ashley A. Ooms, MD
New Jersey
Dr. Ooms grew up in Whitehouse Station, New Jersey. She attended college at W&L University in Virginia, where she rode for the University’s IHSA equestrian team, earned Phi Beta Kappa honors, and graduated summa cum laude with a BSin biochemistry. She then attended Rutgers New Jersey Medical School as a humanism fellow, and was elected into the Alpha Omega Alpha Honors Society and the Gold Humanism Honor Society. At Rutgers, she quickly fell in love with ophthalmology and spent much of her time participating in community vision screenings and conducting research in telemedicine and the use of artificial intelligence in identifying vision threatening pathologies. She completed her internship year in internal medicine at the University of Oklahoma. In her free time, she loves horseback riding, rock climbing, and playing fetch with her two dogs.
PGY-3 Residents
Elizabeth A. Fairless, MD
Oklahoma
Dr. Fairless was born and raised near Tulsa, Oklahoma. She attended Dartmouth College where she graduated cum laude with a BA in Neuroscience with a minor in Native American Studies. She then spent a year studying retinal degenerative diseases in a laboratory at the National Eye Institute in Bethesda, Maryland before attending medical school at Yale School of Medicine. At Yale, Dr. Fairless conducted research about disparities in diabetic retinopathy screening and she is passionate about addressing unequal access to eye care. She completed her internship at the Spokane Teaching Health Clinic transitional program in Washington state. She is a member of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma and enjoys attending tribal events and learning the Chahta language. She also enjoys hiking, sewing, beading, and DIY projects.
Jessica Hsueh, MD
California
Dr. Hsueh was raised in San Gabriel, California. She attended UCLA and majored in Physiological Science and minored in Biomedical Research and Global Health, graduating with magna cum laude honors. She then attended the Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine in Cleveland, Ohio where she was inducted into the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Society. There, she found her passion in ophthalmology through research in retinal and glaucomatous diseases. She completed a year of internal medicine internship near home at Huntington Hospital in Pasadena, California prior to joining the Dean McGee Eye Institute. In her spare time, she enjoys baking, thrift shopping, and traveling.
Austin L. LaGrow, MD
Oklahoma
Dr. LaGrow was born and raised in Edmond, Oklahoma. He completed his Bachelor of Science in Biology at Oklahoma Christian University graduating summa cum laude. After college he attended the University of Oklahoma College of Medicine for his medical degree and was inducted into the Alpha Omega Alpha and Gold Humanism Honor Societies. He then completed his internship in Internal Medicine at the University of Oklahoma prior to starting his residency in Ophthalmology. His research interest is investigating the pathophysiology as well as novel therapeutics for bacterial endophthalmitis. In his free time, Dr. LaGrow enjoys working on and driving his late grandfather’s 1926 Ford Model T “Dr’s Coupe” around town and in his local Model T club’s tours and 4th of July parades. He met his lovely wife, Kelsey, in 2012; they enjoy golfing, cooking, and playing with their puppy, Wrigley, together.
Kyle J. Royalty, MD
Georgia
Dr. Royalty was born and raised in Atlanta, GA. After high school he went to Birmingham-Southern College in Birmingham, AL where he pitched for the baseball team for four years while studying chemistry and Spanish, earning Phi Beta Kappa honors. There he met his lovely wife, Hannah, a native of Birmingham who now is a new graduate from PA school. After college, Kyle completed medical school at the Medical College of Georgia (MCG), receiving Alpha Omega Alpha and Gold Humanism Honor Society recognition. He also completed his preliminary year of internal medicine at MCG. In his free time, Kyle enjoys spending time outdoors with his wife, playing tennis and golf, beating his friends at board games, and collecting baseball cards with his father.
Elise E. Steinberger, MD
Kansas
Dr. Steinberger grew up in Wichita, Kansas. She graduated magna cum laude in Biology at Northwestern University before remaining to pursue an MS in Science Journalism. She has always enjoyed teaching and, during her studies, enjoyed working as a physics, biology, and Italian tutor. After graduation, she worked as a Science Journalist in Washington, D.C. She then attended medical school at Tufts University in Boston. Following medical school, she completed her internship at Grand Strand Medical Center in South Carolina. In her spare time, she enjoys being outside, playing pickup sports, and traveling.
PGY-4 Residents
Brayden R. Barrientez, MD
Kansas
Dr. Barrientez was born and raised in Wichita, Kansas. After high school, he attended Oklahoma Christian University where he ran cross country and track, earned his Bachelor’s of Science in Biology, and met his lovely wife, Maria. Shortly after college, he attended medical school at the University of Oklahoma, where he was inducted into the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Society and Gold Humanism Honor Society. He continued his medical training at OU, where he completed a year of residency training in internal medicine. Outside of medicine, Dr. Barrientez can be found cheering on the Los Angeles Lakers, teaching preschool class at church, playing board games with his family, or going out for a leisurely jog.
Tyler C. Friske, MD, Chief Resident
Colorado
Dr. Friske grew up in Colorado Springs, Colorado, before moving to Dallas, Texas. He attended Southern Methodist University as a President’s Scholar and graduated summa cum laude with a BS in Mechanical Engineering. He then went on to complete medical school at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas, and was elected into the Alpha Omega Alpha Honors Society. During his time at Baylor, he served as a student co-chair of the Admissions Committee and worked extensively as a peer mentor and tutor. Following medical school, he completed a transitional year internship at Presbyterian St. Luke’s Medical Center in Denver, Colorado, where he worked as intern class representative. In his free time, Dr. Friske enjoys cooking, skiing, exploring the outdoors hiking and camping, and spending time with his friends and family.
Christian A. Leal, MD
Texas
Dr. Leal was born and raised in Dallas, Texas. The first in his family to attend college, he graduated from Stanford University with a degree in Human Biology and was the recipient of the Lyons Award for Public Service. He attended UT Southwestern Medical School where he was a member of Alpha Omega Alpha and the Gold Humanism Honor Society and received the Vanatta-Hesser Teaching Award for his class. He completed a year of Internal Medicine at UT Southwestern prior to joining DMEI. Outside of work, Dr. Leal loves spending time with his beautiful wife, Audrey, whom he met in middle school, and their precious pup, Sophie. He enjoys traveling, nature walks, tennis, and inviting friends and family over for dinner.
Cynthia K. McClard, MD, PhD
Texas
Dr. McClard originally hails from Houston, Texas. She attended the Plan II Honors Program at the University of Texas at Austin, graduating magna cum laude with a BA in English and Economics. Prior to pursuing medical studies at Baylor College of Medicine, she worked in various research settings, investigating how viruses alter the cells they infect and how cells can be manipulated or reprogrammed in times of organ distress and differentiation. Yearning to understand how investigative research can impact patient care, she enrolled in medical school and concomitantly earned a PhD, using virus-based technology to study how genetic changes in neurosensory cells can alter neurosensory circuit function. She dreams of a day when viral and other molecular tools, such as gene therapy and CRISPR, are as widely available as eye drops and injections, for patients who suffer from visual circuit disorders. Prior to joining the Dean McGee Eye Institute, Dr. McClard completed her preliminary year of training in Internal Medicine at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, where she earned friends and mentors for a lifetime. She enjoys spending her spare time teaching her children to be curious and kind, laughing at her cantankerous Corgis, and waxing philosophical with her amazing spouse.
Rupin N. Parikh, MD
New Jersey
Dr. Parikh grew up in Livingston, New Jersey. He attended Northwestern University where he graduated cum laude with a BS in Human Communication Sciences. He then attended Albany Medical College (AMC) for medical school. During his time at AMC, he grew passionate about ophthalmology which motivated him to complete a retina research fellowship year at the Scheie Eye Institute of the University of Pennsylvania where he focused on the efficacy of intravitreal anti-VEGF injections on patients with proliferative diabetic retinopathy complicated by vitreous hemorrhage. After medical school, he completed his transitional year internship at the Columbia-Bassett Medical Center in Cooperstown, New York. This was followed by a clinical ophthalmic pathology fellowship at the Wilmer Eye Institute of Johns Hopkins University prior to joining the Dean McGee Eye Institute. In his spare time, Dr. Parikh enjoys traveling, watching and playing sports, Bhangra dancing, spending time with his family, and sending comical memes to his friends and co-residents.