Class of 2022
Allison Bradee, M.D.
Dr. Allison Bradee was born in Minnesota and grew up in the Minneapolis area. She completed undergraduate degrees in Spanish from Bethel University and Physiology from the University of Minnesota. She went on to attend medical school at the University of Minnesota and extended her schooling to spend a year working at a surgical center in Honduras. Allison completed her intern year in General Surgery at the University of Nebraska. Before joining UMKC Ophthalmology, she spent a year as a Glaucoma research fellow at Mayo Clinic. Her interests include international medicine, biking, traveling, being outdoors, and spending time with friends and family.
Katherine Brown, M.D.
Dr. Katherine Brown was born and raised in North Kansas City. She earned her bachelor’s degree in Biology from the University of Missouri- Columbia where she focused on research in plant genetics. She then completed medical school at the University of Missouri- Kansas City and an Internal Medicine Preliminary residency at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City. Now that she is back in Kansas City for Ophthalmology residency she enjoys spending time with her husband, family and friends, attending Chiefs and Royals games, running with her dog and gardening.
Jeffrey Stetler, M.D.
Dr. Jeff Stetler was born and raised in Dallas, Texas. Jeff grew up in a medical family, with his father Buzz, a dentist, and his mother Lori, a dermatologist. He completed his bachelor’s degree in Biology at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia, where he was a four-year member of the club volleyball team. He returned home to attend medical school at the University of Texas – Southwestern and then completed his internal medicine internship at Texas Health Presbyterian Dallas, a large community hospital. Jeff enjoys spending time with his wife, Molly, and their two cats, Frankie and Watson. He also likes golf, volleyball, skiing, and following his Dallas sports teams.
Jason Szelog, M.D.
Dr. Jason Szelog was born and raised in Manchester, NH. He completed his Bachelor of Science in Biology at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) in Troy, NY. He then moved to Boston, MA to work as a technician in the retina department of Ophthalmic Consultants of Boston (OCB) where witnessing the benefits of innovative imaging and treatment modalities on patients’ lives fueled his passion to become an ophthalmologist. He attended medical school at Tufts University School of Medicine in Boston, and completed his transitional-year internship at Carney Hospital in Dorchester, MA. In his free time he enjoys playing and watching all sports (including multiple championship parades in Boston), traveling with his wife, astrophotography, Revolutionary War-era history, and watching The Office.
Class of 2021
Daniel Dansdill, M.D.
Dr. Daniel Dansdill was born in Columbia, Missouri before moving to Rockford, Illinois. There he spent his formative years and became passionate about medicine via his father, Dr. David Dansdill, a rheumatologist. He completed a Science-Business degree at the University of Notre Dame. He then worked as an orthopedic technician for a year before completing medical school at the University of Loyola – Chicago. He also completed his medical internship in Chicago at Presence St. Francis Hospital before joining UMKC ophthalmology. In his spare time Daniel enjoys sports, barbeque, fishing, playing the guitar, and spending time with his family.
Robert “Josh” Fantus, M.D.
Dr. Robert “Josh” Fantus was born in Chicago and grew up in Libertyville, a northern suburb of Chicago. He earned his bachelors of arts degree in Biology at DePauw University in Greencastle Indiana, where he also trained to be an Emergency Medical Technician. He also worked for the Chicago Fire Department in their simulation center training firefighters, paramedics, EMTs, and SWAT team members in emergency prehospital scenarios. He then completed medical school at the University of Illinois College of Medicine at Chicago. He completed an internal medicine internship at Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center in Chicago, Illinois. He enjoys watching movies, music, traveling, and spending time with his family.
Cory J. Miller, M.D.
Dr. Cory Miller was raised in Minnesota’s Twin Cities area. He earned his bachelor’s of science degree in biology from Hamline University in St. Paul, MN. He then completed medical school at the University of Minnesota Medical School. Before starting ophthalmology he completed a transitional year residency at Gundersen Health System in La Crosse, WI. He enjoys spending time with his wife and son, outdoor activities, playing and watching sports, particularly Minnesota sports teams.
Class of 2020
Ananth Selliyan, M.D.
Dr. Ananth Selliyan was raised in St. Louis, MO. He earned his bachelor’s degree in Chemistry at Truman State University in Kirksville, MO. He then worked as a Clinical Research Assistant in Medical Oncology at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, where he focused on research of genetic markers related to lung cancer. In addition, he later served as a Pastoral Resident at The Crossing church in St. Louis. He then completed medical school at University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Medicine and an Internal Medicine Preliminary residency at St. Vincent Hospital in Indianapolis, IN, prior to returning to UMKC for his Ophthalmology residency training. In his spare time, he enjoys watching professional sports. While a St. Louis Cardinals fan at heart, he has grown fond of cheering for our Kansas City Sports teams.
Christa Soekamto, M.D.
Dr. Christa Soekamto was raised in Grapevine, Texas. She completed her undergraduate degree in biomedical sciences at Southeast Missouri State University where she also competed in collegiate gymnastics. She then attended medical school at Paul L. Foster Texas Tech School of Medicine. She completed her preliminary year in internal medicine at UMKC. She enjoys snorkeling, scuba diving, listening to podcasts, and staying active, but has somehow managed to fall asleep on every form of transportation across multiple countries.
Duy Vu, M.D.
Dr. Duy Vu was born and raised in Houston, TX. He completed his bachelor’s degree in human biology at the University of Texas in Austin. He then went on to complete his MD/MBA at Texas Tech University in Lubbock. Before beginning ophthalmology, he moved to Denver to complete his medical internship with the University of Colorado. He enjoys snowboarding/skiing, backpacking, skydiving, painting/drawing, and spending time with his pup. He prefers to be called by his nickname, Dree (like tree but with a ‘D’).
Class of 2019
Kevin Chen, M.D.
Dr. Kevin Chen was born in China and moved to the United States at the age of two. He grew up in Greensboro, North Carolina and completed his undergraduate degree at Duke University, where he majored in biology and chemistry. Afterward, he attended medical school at the Wake Forest University School of Medicine, where he also completed his preliminary year in internal medicine. He enjoys spending time with his fiancee, watching Duke basketball and exploring new restaurants.
Zachary Lindsey, M.D.
Dr. Zachary Lindsey was born and raised in Clemmons, North Carolina. He completed his undergraduate degree in physics at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He then attended medical school at Wake Forest School of Medicine. During his time there, he became involved with corneal disease research and was published as a first author in a popular medical textbook. After graduating medical school, he completed his preliminary medicine internship at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center, before moving to Kansas City to begin his ophthalmology residency. He enjoys spending his free time with his wife Ashley and their rescue dog Luna. He also likes traveling, playing video games and board games with family and woodworking. He and his wife are expecting their first child in January 2017.
Cody Ott, M.D.
Dr. Cody Ott was born and raised in South Florida. He completed his undergraduate degree in psychology at the University of Central Florida in Orlando. He then went on to attend medical school at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. Following medical school, he completed an internal medicine internship at Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami, Florida. He enjoys spending time with his wife and family, weightlifting, cooking and the outdoors.
Class of 2018
Abou Cham, M.D.
Dr. Abdourahman Cham was born and raised in The Gambia. He completed his undergraduate degree in biology at Lynn University in Boca Raton, Florida and his master’s degree in biomedical engineering at Florida International University in Miami, Florida. Prior to medical school, he worked as a quality control scientist at Noven Pharmaceuticals in Miami. He then attended medical school at The University of Iowa and completed a medical internship at Howard University Hospital in Washington, DC. His hobbies and interests include basketball, ping-pong, billiards, travel, finance/investing and public policy.
Matthew Cossack, M.D.
Dr. Matthew Cossack grew up in Minnesota before earning degrees in philosophy and biochemistry at the University of Notre Dame. While there, he met his wife with whom he has two young boys. He completed both medical school and a medical internship at Creighton University in Omaha before beginning ophthalmology. His interests include science, philosophy, history and ancestry, and he enjoys spending time with his family, especially on lakes in Minnesota.
Samantha Herretes, M.D.
Dr. Samantha Herretes was born and raised in Caracas, Venezuela. She completed medical school and finished an ophthalmology residency in Caracas, before moving to the United States with her family in 2010. She performed research at Wilmer and Bascom Palmer Eye Institute, publishing several papers related to cornea and ocular surface disease. She completed a surgical internship at Saint Louis University before moving to Kansas City for ophthalmology residency. She enjoys spending time with her husband and children, extended family and friends.
Class of 2017
Scott Butikofer, M.D.
Dr. Scott Butikofer was raised in Southeast Idaho near Yellowstone National Park and the Grand Tetons. He completed his bachelors degree in biology at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah. He then completed medical school at the University of Washington in Seattle, having many opportunities to train in the Northwest region, including his native Idaho. He now lives in Missouri with his wife, Christine, and their two children, Zoey and Aaron, pursuing further training in ophthalmology. He enjoys spending time with his family, finding outdoor attractions to explore and reading fiction novels.
Sarah Dehaybi, M.D. – Chief Resident
Dr. Sarah Dehaybi was born and raised in Northern Arizona and completed her undergraduate degrees in physiology and Near Eastern studies at the University of Arizona in Tucson. She went on to complete a dual MD–MPH program at the University of Arizona, spending nine months completing an internship in Geneva, Switzerland at the World Health Organization. She completed her preliminary year in medicine at UMKC prior to beginning ophthalmology. In addition to spending time with her husband and daughter, she enjoys traveling, photography and singing.
Fahad Khan, M.D.
Dr. Fahad Khan was born in Bangladesh and was raised in Los Angeles, California. He earned his undergraduate degree in bioengineering at the University of California-SanDiego. He then completed medical school training at Creighton University. Afterward, he completed his internship in internal medicine at San Francisco’s St. Mary’s Medical Center. He married six months before the start of his residency at UMKC. Other than ophthalmology, he enjoys watching movies, playing basketball, eating delicious foods and participating in outdoor activities.
Class of 2016
Lilit Ablabutyan, M.D. – Chief Resident
Dr. Ablabutyan was born in Armenia where she spent her early childhood before moving to Glendale, California at the age of four. She completed her undergraduate degree at University of California Irvine followed by a medical degree from Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia. Pennsylvania. Prior to starting her ophthalmology residency, she completed a preliminary medicine internship at Loma Linda University in California. Her hobbies include painting, traveling and spending time with friends and family.
Ashley Abraham, M.D.
Dr. Abraham was born and raised in the Chicago suburbs. She earned her medical doctorate with Latin Honors at the University of Missouri- Kansas City six-year accelerated BA/MD program. Prior to starting her Ophthalmology residency, she completed a year of internal medicine residency at the University of Missouri- Kansas City. In 2012, she was awarded the Women in Medicine Scholarship Achievement Award. She is also a member of the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Society and the Arnold P. Gold Foundation: Gold Humanism Honor Society. Outside of work, she enjoys family and friends, painting, baking, traveling, and playing tennis.
Fatima Ali, M.D.
Dr. Ali was born in Pakistan and moved to the United States at the age of four. She grew up in multiple cities including Boston, St. Louis and Dallas. She attended the combined undergraduate-medical degree program at the University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Medicine. Afterward, she completed a transitional-year internship at John Peter Smith Hospital in Forth Worth, Texas. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with family and friends, baking and, traveling.
Class of 2015
Sonia Dhoot, M.D. – Chief Resident
Dr. Dhoot was born and raised in Riverside, California. After high school, she attended an accelerated, seven-year combined BS/MD program with Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and Albany Medical College in Albany, New York. She then moved back to California for one year where she completed her transitional year at Arrowhead Regional Medical Center. Her hobbies include spending quality time with friends and family, reading, and watching professional basketball.
Terry Kang, M.D.
Dr. Kang was born and raised in the San Francisco Bay area in California. He received his undergraduate degree at the University of California-Los Angeles and then his medical degree at the University of California-San Diego. Afterward, he trained at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center for his transitional-year internship. He recently got married at the start of his residency. Other than ophthalmology, he enjoys watching and playing sports, eating delicious foods and traveling as much as possible.
Anwesh Reddy, M.D.
Dr. Reddy was born and raised in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. He completed his undergraduate degree in biochemistry at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri, and then moved to Chicago, Illinois where he performed research on pina bifida at Children’s Memorial Hospital (Northwestern). He attended medical school at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center College of Medicine in Memphis. Following medical school he completed a Surgical internship at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts before moving to Kansas City to begin his ophthalmology residency. He enjoys spending time with his wife Lindsay, travelling, cooking, working out, playing video games, and spending time outdoors.
Class of 2014
Qui Vu, M.D. – Chief Resident
Dr. Vu was born in Vietnam where she spent her early childhood before moving to Norwalk, California at the age of eight. She completed her undergraduate degree at UCLA and then attended medical school at Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska where she also completed her internship in internal medicine. Her hobbies include cruising, photography, leisure reading and watching Broadway productions.
Eric N. Brown, M.D., Ph.D.
Dr. Brown was born and raised in Minnesota’s Twin Cities. He completed his BA with dual majors in chemistry and mathematics at St. Olaf College. After college, he earned his MD and PhD in biochemistry at the University of Iowa College of Medicine. During graduate school, he published seven papers culminating in his thesis entitled “Rieske business: Rieske metal clusters in Rieske ferredoxins and Rieske dioxygenases” regarding the X-ray crystallographic structures and functions of bacterial electron transport proteins. Following graduate school, Dr. Brown completed a post-doctoral fellowship in the University of Iowa Department of Ophthalmology studying the genetics behind the relationship between complement factor H and age-related macular degeneration. This work resulted in one peer-reviewed paper, a patent application, and a poster at the May 2010 ARVO conference. In 2011, he finished an intern year at the Broadlawns Medical Center family practice transitional program in Des Moines, Iowa. He enjoys spending time with friends and family, reading, photography, and computer programming.
Joshua Schliesser, M.D.
Dr. Joshua Schliesser was born and raised in Vernal, Utah. He attended Utah State University for his undergraduate degree where he studied chemistry and then attended University of Utah School of Medicine. He completed his transitional internship in Spokane, Washington. He and his wife Becky have three children. In addition to spending time with his family, Josh enjoys sports, being outdoors and cooking.
Class of 2013
Nick Binder, M.D. – Chief Resident
One-year pediatric fellowship match – USC Doheny Eye Institute/Children’s Hospital, Los Angeles, California
Dr. Binder was born in San Diego, California where he spent his early childhood before moving to Denver, Colorado for junior high school and high school. He returned to California where he completed his undergraduate degree at the University of California, Santa Barbara, and then spent one year as an ophthalmic technician prior to medical school. He attended the University of California, Irvine for medical school and finished his internship in internal medicine at the University of Kansas Medical Center. His hobbies include travel, outdoor activities such as surfing and hiking, playing the guitar, and enjoying a good meal with family and friends. He is currently a pediatrics ophthalmology fellow in California.
Luke Rebenitsch, M.D.
One-year cornea/refractive surgery fellowship match – Durrie Vision, Overland Park, Kansas
Dr. Rebenitsch was born and raised in the small town of Bismarck, North Dakota. He attended the University of North Dakota where he studied chemical engineering. He then moved to Missouri where he completed his medical training at Washington University in St. Louis. After medical school, he moved to Spokane, Washington to complete a transitional year at Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center. His hobbies include travel, weight training, marathons, politics, skiing, video games and the outdoors. He is currently a cornea and refractive surgery fellow in Kansas.
Adam McLaughlin, M.D., J.D.
One-year medical/retina fellowship – Bascom Palmer Eye Institute, Miami, Florida
Dr. McLaughlin was born in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada and moved with his family to the United States to complete his high school education. He received his undergraduate degree from Colorado State University in Fort Collins, Colorado before attending Southern Illinois University’s School of Medicine and School of Law. He completed his internship at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Denver, Colorado. Outside of work, Dr. McLaughlin enjoys participating in ice hockey, soccer, softball and outdoor activities like running, hiking and skiing. He is currently a retina fellow in Florida.
Class of 2012
Mouhammed O. Abuattieh, M.D., Ph.D. – Chief Resident
Two-year vitreo-retinal surgery fellowship-Washington University, St. Louis, Missouri
Dr. Abuattieh of Palestinian origin was born and raised in Saudi Arabia. He moved to Prague, Czech Republic where he attended medical school and received his degree in 2004. He spent four years performing research in immunology at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. He joined UMKC’s program after completing an internship in preliminary surgery at the Mayo Clinic. He enjoys reading, soccer and cooking with friends. Dr. Abuattieh is currently a retina fellow in St. Louis, Missouri.
Jessica Schonfeld, M.D.
One-year cornea fellowship Pepose Vision Institute in Chesterfield, Missouri.
Dr. Schonfeld was born and raised in Chicago, Illinois. She completed her bachelor degree in biology at Brandeis University near Boston, Massachusetts. After college, she worked for a year as a medical technologist at Tufts-New England Medical Center. She earned her M.D. at University of Connecticut and completed a preliminary year of medicine at George Washington University Hospital in Washington, D.C. In May 2010, she presented at ARVO regarding the management of postoperative pain in enucleation/evisceration surgeries. Other past research projects have included visual outcomes of laser therapy in diabetic retinopathy and photodynamic therapy of choroidal melanomas. In her free time, she enjoys reading and exercising, and is an avid fan of music, particularly jazz.
Shamim Haji, M.D.
Two-year vitreo-retina fellowship – University of Florida, Jacksonville, Florida
Dr. Haji was born and raised in Kashmir, India. He obtained his medical degree from the Government Medical College Srinagar, Kashmir University. He moved to the United States where he completed a clinical research post-doctoral fellowship in cornea and refractive surgery at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, New York, and then a clinical glaucoma and medical retina fellowship at the East Florida Eye Institute, Florida. He completed his Internship at the New York Presbyterian Hospital (Cornell Campus) program. Dr. Haji has authored and coauthored eight papers in peer-review journals, including the Archives of Ophthalmology, and presented over 25 posters at major national and international meetings. He co-authored a book chapter in “The Glaucoma Book: A Practical, Evidence-Based Approach to Patient Care”. Outside of medicine, Dr. Haji enjoys spending time with his wife and two children. His hobbies include sports such as soccer, ping pong and tennis. He is currently a retina fellow in Florida.
Shiva Nobar, M.D.
– joined the staff of UT Medical Group, Inc. in Memphis, Tennessee
Class of 2011
Savak Teymoorian, M.D., M.B.A. – Chief Resident
Dr. Teymoorian spent his childhood in Glendale, California. He moved to Orange County, California where he completed his undergraduate studies in biological sciences at the University of California, Irvine. He completed a combined MD/MBA program at the UC Irvine School of Medicine and the Paul Merage School of Business. He remained at UC Irvine for his internship in internal medicine. After completion of residency at UMKC, he went back to California and completed a glaucoma fellowship at Stanford University. Dr. Teymoorian’s hobbies include watching and playing baseball, basketball, football and darts. His wife is a geriatric internal medicine physician.
Florin Grigorian, M.D.
Dr. Grigorian was raised in Bucovina, Romania. He attended Gr. T. Popa University of Medicine and Pharmacy in Iasi, Romania for both his college and medical school studies. While in Romania, he completed an ophthalmology residency. He moved to the United States and settled in Illinois, where he fulfilled his internship at the University of Illinois, College of Medicine and then completed a pediatric ophthalmology fellowship at Children’s Memorial Hospital in Chicago. Dr Grigorian is now specializing in pediatric ophthalmology. Dr. Grigorian’s hobbies include hiking, swimming, soccer, philately and computer games. His wife also works as pediatric ophthalmologist.
William D. Witt, M.D., O.D.
Dr. Witt was born and raised in Garden City, Kansas. He graduated from Kansas State University in 1996 with a bachelor’s degree in biology while working for the Agronomy Research Department. He next attended Northeastern State University College of Optometry, graduating in 2000 and completing an additional year of ocular disease training in 2001. For the next two years he worked at the Cherokee Nation Wilma P. Mankiller Clinic in Stilwell, Oklahoma before returning to medical school at the University of Oklahoma. He completed his internship in internal medicine at the University of Missouri-Kansas City. After completion of an ophthalmology residency at UMKC, Dr. Witt went to the University of Nebraska in Omaha to complete a fellowship in glaucoma, and then started his own practice in Manhattan, Kansas. He and his wife recently had their second son. Dr. Witt’s current hobby is backpacking and hiking, with recent trips to Arkansas, Wyoming, Washington, British Columbia and North Carolina. He also enjoys woodworking, gardening, and marathon running.
Class of 2010
Ryan Vincent, M.D. Chief Resident
Dr. Vincent was raised in Grand Junction, Colorado. He completed both his undergraduate and graduate studies for a master’s degree at Colorado State University in Fort Collins. He moved to Denver to attend the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center School of Medicine and completed his internship at Saint Joseph Hospital. After residency, Dr. Vincent completed a glaucoma fellowship at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston before returning to join faculty on the glaucoma service at UMKC. Dr. Vincent enjoys outdoor activities like hunting, fishing, camping and traveling.
R. Ken Lord, M.D.
– joined the staff of Retina Associates of Southern Utah, St. George, Utah
Dr. Lord grew up in Southern Utah and attended college at Southern Utah University in Cedar City. He attended medical school at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City and then moved to Tucson, Arizona to complete his internship at the University of Arizona. Dr. Lord has spent 10 years with the Utah National Guard including two activations for various causes since 9/11. In October of 2011, he returned from a three-month deployment to Iraq. He enjoys spending time with his family, including four children. His hobbies are playing golf, basketball, and volleyball in addition to home remodeling. He finished a two-year vitreo-retinal fellowship at the University of Missouri, Kansas City before returning to Utah to start his own retina practice.
Brian Haugen, M.D.
Dr. Haugen was raised in Kohler, Wisconsin. He completed both his undergraduate and medical training at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. After medical school, he moved to Salt Lake City, Utah for a one-year ocular pathology fellowship at the Moran Eye Center with Dr. Nick Mamalis. Following the fellowship, he completed his transitional year internship at Swedish Covenant Hospital in Chicago, Illinois. His hobbies include outdoor sports and activities such as golf, softball, soccer, skiing, camping, hiking, sailing and flying. He is currently in private practice in California as a comprehensive ophthalmologist.
Class of 2009
Vinay Shah, M.D.
Dr. Shah was born and raised in India. While there, he completed his medical school and ophthalmology residency at Smt. N.H.L. Medical College in Ahmedabad and a vitreo-retinal fellowship at L. V. Prasad Eye Institute in Hyderabad, India. He moved to the United States where he completed a research and clinical post-doctoral fellowship in retina at the University of Florida in Jacksonville, followed by a neuro ophthalmology fellowship at the University of Iowa. After residency at UMKC, he completed a two-year surgical fellowship in retina at Kresge Eye Institute in Detroit. He is now on staff at Dean McGee Eye Institute in Oklahoma. Dr. Shah has authored 59 peer reviewed publications and 65 oral/podium presentations. His hobbies include sports such as cricket and table tennis.
Erica Person, M.D.
Dr. Person was raised in Nebraska. She moved to Missouri where she attended Washington University in St. Louis for college and then Saint Louis University for both medical school and graduate work for a master’s degree. Her internship was completed at Forest Park Hospital in Saint Louis. She enjoys the French horn, crochet, gardening, and going “green” in her spare time. She is now practicing as a comprehensive ophthalmologist at KU Eye Center.
Ashley San Filippo, M.D.
Dr. San Filippo grew up in Coshocton, Ohio. She completed her undergraduate studies at Kent State University and then medical training at the Northeastern Ohio Universities College of Medicine. She moved to New York for her internship at State University of New York at Buffalo. Her main hobby is running. She completed a glaucoma fellowship at the Ohio State University and currently is in private practice in Ohio.