New Residents Jacob Winters, MD Jacob Winters, MD graduated from Purdue University and spent several years as a high school teacher during which time he was awarded Teacher of the Year. After trekking The Way of Saint James pilgrimage in Spain, he discovered a desire to make further contributions to the world as a physician. While in medical school at Texas Tech El Paso, he served as Class President, Student Body President, and was inducted into the Alpha Omega Alpha and Gold Humanism medical honor societies. He has published several peer-reviewed papers regarding the eye. In addition, he has authored and contributed to several articles on the American Academy of Ophthalmology EyeWiki site including Leber’s Hereditary Optic Neuropathy, Transient Smartphone Blindness, and A Brief Guide to Spanish in Ophthalmology, which aids eye professionals in better communicating with Spanish-speaking patients. He enjoys spending time on adventures with his wife, a Family Medicine physician, and their children. He aspires to be an excellent husband and father.
Timothy Chen, MD, PhD Timothy Chen, MD, PhD, is a native of Los Angeles, CA. He graduated from the University of California Berkeley in 2011 with a BS in Bioengineering with High Honors. As an undergraduate, he was interested in tissue engineering and worked in Dr. Song Li’s laboratory developing small-diameter vascular grafts. He then earned a combined MD/PhD at Columbia University, where he performed his doctorate studies under the guidance of Dr. Gordana Vunjak-Novakovic. He worked in tissue engineering and on the development of in vitro human cardiac disease models. During his return to medical school, he became interested in ophthalmology and the expansive range of clinical and research opportunities the field presented. In his free time, he enjoys playing board games, cooking, and exploring Pittsburgh with his wife, Stephanie.
Matthew Sommers, MD Matthew Sommers, MD is a Yinzer by birth, but moved to Tampa, Florida as a toddler. After completing high school, he moved to Memphis where he graduated Magna Cum Laude with a BS in Neuroscience from Rhodes College; during this time, he worked at St. Jude Children’s Hospital where he researched a novel protocol for Bone Marrow Transplant. Between college and medical school, Matt worked two years as a navigator doing outreach, education, and enrollment for the Affordable Care Act . He then moved to Vermont where he attended the Larner College of Medicine at the University of Vermont and performed research on a novel procedure for prostate cancer therapy as well as optimizing efficiency of perioperative medicine. He is not sure what his future within ophthalmology holds, but he is interested in ensuring equal access to ophthalmic care, improving systems of care delivery, and exploring the many research opportunities at UPMC. His interests outside of medicine include bicycle touring, cooking (and more importantly eating), coffee that’s too expensive, and rock climbing.
THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS 07
