PGY-1
Carla Baaklini, MD
Bio
Medical School: Northeast Ohio Medical University
Undergraduate Institution: Kent State University
Bio: Carla grew up in a suburb of Cleveland and stayed in northeast Ohio for her undergraduate and medical school years where she enjoyed spending time on Lake Erie (the best Great Lake, in her opinion). In her free time, you can find her playing volleyball, Spikeball, Super Mario Bros, going swimming, and spending time with friends. She is excited to work with the fun and kind people in the ophthalmology department for her training.
Nathaniel Cameron, MD
Bio
Medical School: U Kansas School of Medicine- Kansas City
Undergraduate Institution: Kansas State University
Bio: Nate grew up just over the state line in Westwood, Kansas. He studied English Literature at Kansas State University before earning his MD at the University of Kansas School of Medicine. Nate is a marathon runner and enjoys reading, writing, and cheering for the Kansas City Royals and Chiefs! He loves life in Columbia with his two favorite girls-his wife, Becca, and dog, Helen.
Ariess Gharabagi, MD
Bio
Medical School: University of Missouri- Columbia
Undergraduate Institution: St. Louis University
Bio: Ariess was born and raised in St. Louis, MO, with one brother. He completed his schooling there and then earned his MD at the University of Missouri. He is more than excited to remain at Mizzou for his residency and continue to be part of a great community and training environment! In his free time, he likes to play basketball, play video games with friends, watch Real Madrid games whenever possible, and most importantly, spend time with his amazing wife, Celeste, and their dog, Nazook.
Danielle McLaughlin, MD
Bio
Medical School: East Carolina University-The Brody School of Medicine
Undergraduate Institution: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Bio: Danielle was born and raised in eastern North Carolina. After receiving a degree in Environmental Studies from UNC, she earned her MD from ECU, and pursued a research fellowship in glaucoma at the University of Miami. She grew up close to the coast, loves all ocean hobbies, and enjoys drawing, particularly wildlife. She values time with her parents, two older brothers, and gray cat, Shark. She is very excited for her journey in the Midwest!
PGY-2
Joseph Arnold, MD, JD
Bio
Undergraduate Institution: Texas Christian University
Medical School: University of Missouri- Columbia
Bio: Joseph grew up in Springfield, Missouri, the youngest of four siblings. He earned his JD from Pepperdine University and practiced law before returning to medical school. Outside of work, he enjoys spending time with his lovely wife, Abby, their young son, Alec, and two dogs. Additionally, Joseph devotes his free time to an ever-growing plethora of interests and hobbies including guitar and piano, tennis, golf, travel, cooking, and TCU Horned Frogs football.
Paul Percelay, MD
Bio
Undergraduate Institution: University of Denver
Medical School: University of Tennessee HSC College of Medicine - Memphis
Bio: Paul Percelay grew up in Clarksville, TN with his two brothers. He headed west to Colorado for undergrad where he became involved with a group called GlobeMed and discovered his passion to become a doctor. He stayed in Denver for a gap year between college and medical school where he worked as a medical scribe and as a barista at a local coffee shop. He completed medical school at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center in Memphis (Go Grizz!). He was drawn to the MU Ophthalmology program because of the people. He enjoys running, golf, basketball, scuba diving, camping, and searching for the perfect beer. He is excited to discover all that Columbia and greater Missouri has to offer!
Jonah Shah, MD
Bio
Undergraduate Institution: Saint Louis University
Medical School: Saint Louis University School of Medicine
Bio: Jonah grew up in Cedar Rapids, Iowa with his older brothers Nikhil and Dylan. After 8 years of school in St. Louis, Jonah moved to Columbia with his beautiful wife, Sarah, and their tortoiseshell cat named Moose. In his free time you can find him playing golf, at the gym, playing video games, or watching the Pittsburgh Steelers!
Gurpal Virdi, MD
Bio
Undergraduate Institution: Saint Louis University
Medical School: University of Missouri- Columbia
Bio: Gurpal Virdi is a Palo Alto native who graduated from Washington University in St. Louis. He received his medical degree from the University of Missouri where he is currently an ophthalmology resident. Gurpal is also the founder of Eyelabs AI through which he is developing technology products to help revolutionize eye care. In his free time, Gurpal enjoys playing golf and learning piano.
PGY-3
Josh King, MD
Bio
Undergraduate Institution: Murray State University
Medical School: University of Missouri - Columbia
Bio: Josh grew up in Poplar Bluff, Missouri with his younger brother Matt. He attended undergrad at Murray State University. He returned to Missouri for medical school at Mizzou, where a highlight was traveling to Australia to present glaucoma research. Josh is excited to spend another 4 years in Columbia for ophthalmology residency. In his free time he is at the gym and learning Japanese and guitar.
Micaela Koci, MD
Bio
Undergraduate Institution: University of Southern California
Medical School: University of Nevada, Reno School of Medicine
Internship: University of Missouri- Columbia
Bio: Mia was born in Southern California and grew up in Reno, Nevada. She has a wide range of hobbies including skiing, shellac nail art, escape rooms, and whipping up a tasty cocktail. If you ever need a friend to run errands with or have a chill movie marathon Saturday, she is your person! She has lived coast to coast in LA and NYC and is excited to see what Missouri has to offer!
Alex Miller, MD
Bio
Undergraduate Institution: Kent State University
Medical School: Northeast Ohio Medical University
Internship: University of Missouri
Bio: Alex grew up in Avon Lake, Ohio which is a suburb of Cleveland. Go Browns!! He is the oldest of four boys. Outside of work, Alex enjoys kiteboarding, sailing, skiing, lifting, video games and nightlife. He is excited to be in Columbia, MO and looks forward to the experiences that lie ahead!
Olivia Moharer, MD, MSB
Bio
Undergraduate Institution: Texas A&M University
Medical School: Texas A&M Health Science Center
Internship: University of Columbia - Missouri
Bio: Olivia grew up in east Texas. She loves summertime at the lake with family and friends, and her favorite holiday is the 4th of July. She spends her free time tending to her numerous house plants and has been known to propagate random trimmings she finds. She has a Bernese Mountain dog named Scout who keeps her active. She is excited to be in Columbia and explore more of Missouri!
PGY-4
Max Court, MD
Bio
- Undergraduate institution: University of Iowa
- Medical school: St. Louis University
- Internship: University of Missouri
Max was born in Arlington, Texas where he lived for only 6 days before moving to West Des Moines, Iowa. In 2007 Max was a part of the Iowa High School 4A State Champion golf team. In his free time, he still enjoys playing golf, as well as cycling, homebrewing, and hanging out with his dog, Oliver.
Matt Hirabayashi, MD
Bio
- Undergraduate institution: Saint Louis University
- Medical school: University of Missouri Columbia
Matt was born and raised in St. Louis, MO where he stayed for undergrad at Saint Louis University. During medical school at Mizzou his research with glaucoma took him across the world so he’s excited to see where residency will take him. In his free time you’ll catch him making music, flying, sailing or traveling with his friends and family.
Travis Parker, MD
Bio
- Undergraduate Institution: Texas Christian University
- Medical School: UT Health San Antonio
- Internship: University of Missouri
Travis Parker grew up in the beautiful Texas hill country as a New Braunfels Mighty Fighting Unicorn. He earned a bachelor’s degree in finance and economics as a Horned Frog at Texas Christian University where he met his wife Meghan. He took some time to travel during his college years attending Oxford University to study economics. After a brief stint as a financial planner, Travis realized his passion for medicine and embarked on his journey through medical school in San Antonio, TX. His most cherished moments include spending time outdoors with Meghan and their 2 children, trips to the beach and mountains, watching Horned Frog football, and 4-wheeling in his jeep.
Eric Zhang, MD
Bio
- Undergraduate institution:Washington University in St. Louis
- Medical school: Chicago Medical School in Rosalind Franklin University of Science and Medicine
- Internship: University of Missouri
Eric was born in Rolla, Missouri, and grew up near Chicago. He returned to Missouri for college at Washington University and attended Chicago Medical School where he enjoyed volunteering at free clinics and helping teach others. Outside of medicine, Eric enjoys basketball, going to the gym and playing video games.