4 minute read
Graduating Fellows
Pimpiroon Ploysangam, MD – Oculoplastics
Dr. Ploysangam spent most of her childhood in Bangkok, Thailand. She graduated with distinction from Boston University and received her medical degree from University of Cincinnati. Her ophthalmology residency was at SUNY University at Buffalo, where she served as chief resident and cultivated her interests in pediatrics and oculoplastics. She has since completed her pediatric ophthalmology and strabismus fellowship at Duke University. During her free time, she enjoys new foods, music, and sketching.
Kanwal Singh Matharu, MD – Cornea
Kanwal Singh Matharu traces his love of live music and eclectic cuisine to his birthplace of New Orleans. He learned to love kayaking the bayous in Boy Scouts and the value of service by completing his Eagle Scout Project. He headed to Princeton University where he cofounded Sikhs of Princeton, reinvigorated Princeton Bhangra, and graduated with a BA in molecular biology with certificates in global health/health policy and neuroscience which culminated in a deep dive into basic science and translational research: studying the connectivity of the posterior parietal cortex in a rodent model. Serving on the Princeton Board of Trustees for four years added balance to his medical training at McGovern Medical School in Houston. Here his concentration in Medical Humanities concluded with a photojournalism project titled “Humans of the Hospital.” Kanwal will play any sport and dance to any beat. He enjoys gardening and is a rudimentary cook.
Thomas Berk, MD FRCSC – Glaucoma
Dr. Thomas Berk comes to UPMC’s glaucoma fellowship program after completing his undergraduate, medical, and residency training in Canada. He went on to graduate Summa Cum Laude with honors from York University’s psychology program, went on to complete his residency at McGill University in Montreal. During residency, Dr. Berk was recognized multiple times for his natural teaching ability and dedication to furthering ophthalmic education, being voted twice by the McGill medical student body as most outstanding resident teacher and contributing to the department’s educational mission by founding several teaching programs that have since been incorporated into the McGill residency curriculum. When not working, Dr. Berk enjoys spending time with his wife and two daughters, exploring all that Pittsburgh has to offer their young family.
Graduating Fellows (continued)
Shelley Mo, MD – Glaucoma
Dr. Shelley Mo graduated summa cum laude from Northwestern University with a B.A. in Biology and Mathematics. She then went on to complete her M.D. at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. During medical school, she held a leadership position in the Ophthalmology clinic within the student-run East Harlem Health Outreach Program and spent a scholarly year between her 3rd and 4th years of medical school conducting research in high resolution retinal vascular imaging at New York Eye and Ear. Her research centered on the validity of optical coherence tomography angiography in normal and pathologic eyes compared to adaptive optics fluorescein angiography. Prior to starting her ophthalmology training at UPMC, she completed a preliminary year in Internal Medicine at Mount Sinai St. Luke’s-West. Her hobbies include cooking and cake decorating.
Sabrina Mukhtar, MD – Cornea
Dr. Sabrina Mukhtar was born in Las Vegas, Nevada and at a young age moved to South East Asia. She grew up in several countries including Indonesia, Singapore, Taiwan and Thailand and returned to the United States for her undergraduate degree. She received a BA in Public Health from the University of California, Berkeley. She then attended medical school at Virginia Commonwealth University. Before starting residency, she completed a Masters in Public Health from the University of Pittsburgh. During this time she worked in Dr. Ladan Espandar’s Ocular Surface Regenerative Therapy Lab. She completed her internship in Internal Medicine at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. During her free time, Sabrina likes to spend time with family and friends, try out new coffee shops, enjoy great restaurants, read, and spin.
Elizabeth Conner, MD – Pediatrics
Dr. Conner has come to Pittsburgh from Christchurch, New Zealand. She has interest in corneal surgery and pediatric ophthalmology. After completing a medical degree through the University of Otago, she trained as an Ophthalmologist in the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Ophthalmologists training program. Dr Conner completed a BMedSci research degree in the management of diabetic eye disease in 2010. Dr Conner has had extensive involvement with the New Zealand Medical Students Association and is a current member of the New Zealand Medical Association’s ethics committee.
Meghal Gagrani, MD – Pediatrics
Dr. Meghal Gagrani was born and raised in India. She earned her medical degree with distinction from All India Institute of Medical Sciences at New Delhi where she also completed her ophthalmology residency in 2018. She moved to Omaha, Nebraska in 2019 to pursue a research fellowship followed by a clinical glaucoma fellowship at University of Nebraska Medical Center. She has a special interest in pediatric glaucoma. She is passionate about dancing and loves to cook in her free time.
