Current Residents
PGY-2 Residents
Elizabeth A. Fairless, MD
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
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-3 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
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.
PGY-4 Residents
Jon “Christian” Berry, MD
Texas
Dr. Berry was raised in San Antonio, Texas, as the oldest of seven children. He attended Baylor University, where he majored in Business Fellows and Finance, graduating summa cum laude with a BBA degree. While at Baylor, he played as a midfielder on the Baylor Men’s Club Soccer Team, captaining the team during his senior season. He subsequently attended the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School in Dallas, Texas, where he was elected into the Gold Humanism Honor Society. He also was actively involved in the CMDA chapter at Southwestern. Dr. Berry then completed his transitional internship at Riverside Regional Medical Center in Newport News, Virginia. Outside of work, Christian enjoys playing soccer and tennis, playing piano, spending time with family and friends, and attending church. His hobbies also include skiing and discussing theology.
Kristen N. Collister, MD, MPH
Pennsylvania
Dr. Collister grew up in Tunkhannock, Pennsylvania. After high school, she spent a year in Belgium as a Rotary Exchange student learning French. She then attended Kettering University where she completed a BS in Mechanical Engineering and a minor in biochemistry. After college, she spent one year in the West Bank teaching fifth grade. Upon returning to the U.S., Dr. Collister attended medical school at Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Texas, and was elected into the Alpha Omega Alpha Honors Society. She and her husband, Peter, subsequently spent a year in Omaha for an internal medicine internship at Creighton University. In her free time, Dr. Collister enjoys spending time with her awesome husband, being involved in her church, and building relationships with new friends. Her other hobbies include playing the piano and flute, biking, hiking, and being outside.
Farzad Jamshidi, MD, PhD
British Columbia
Dr. Jamshidi was born in Tehran, Iran, and grew up in Tehran and Vancouver, Canada. He completed his undergraduate studies in cell biology at the University of British Columbia (UBC) and pursued a combined MD/PhD degree at the UBC School of Medicine. His PhD studies focused on the application of Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS) in characterization of epithelioid sarcoma, a rare tumor of the extremities. His work contributed to inclusion of epithelioid sarcoma in tazemetostat clinical trials. During his subsequent clinical rotations, he found his passion in ophthalmology and after medical school, completed a year of post-doctoral studies at the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary where he researched non-coding mutations in RPGRIP1-associated retinal degenerations. Thereafter, he completed his internship in internal medicine at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston, South Carolina, prior to joining the Dean McGee Eye Institute. In his spare time, he enjoys spending time with family, running, and music.
Andrew R. Osborn, MD
Missouri
Dr. Osborn was raised in Springfield, Missouri. He attended Washington University in St. Louis as an undergraduate and was awarded BA in Anthropology with a minor degree in public health. At Washington University, he was a member of the men’s basketball team. He then completed medical school at the University of Missouri School of Medicine and graduated with cum laude honors. At MU, he was also inducted into the Alpha Omega Alpha honor medical society. Following medical school, he completed a transitional year internship at St. Vincent Hospital in Indianapolis, Indiana, and served as chief resident of his intern class. In his free time, Andrew enjoys playing basketball, solving crossword puzzles, fishing on Table Rock Lake, and spending time with his wonderful friends, family, and co-residents.
Jacob D. Warmath, MD
Texas
Dr. Warmath was born in El Paso, Texas, before living all across the state of Texas. He graduated from Texas A&M University in 2014 with a BS in Biology plus two minors in military science and philosophy. During his time at Texas A&M, Dr. Warmath was an active member of Squadron 20 within the Corps of Cadets. This prompted him to commission into the United States Air Force as a Captain before attending the University of Oklahoma College of Medicine. At OU, Dr. Warmath was inducted into the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society. After medical school, he decided to stay in OKC to complete his Internal Medicine internship at the University of Oklahoma Medical Center. His lovely wife, Kellie, works as the Senior Wish Coordinator for Make-A-Wish Oklahoma where she makes children’s dreams come true. Outside of work, Dr. Warmath enjoys writing, swapping stories, and pondering on the complexities of life.