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.

New Residents (continued)

Bushra Usmani, MD

Dr. Usmani was born in Karachi, Pakistan and received her medical education from the Aga Khan University. She loves the ability of be able to reach out beyond borders, which translates into her love for writing, reading and participating in Model United Nations. It’s also why she started research right from medical school where she was part of an NIH funded research involving stroke, as well as several projects in Ophthalmology. She further pursued research electives at the Wilmer Eye Institute, Johns Hopkins University which led her to her position as a clinical research fellow at the Department of Ophthalmology at the University of Pittsburgh. Dr. Usmani’s work involved big data, exploring epidemiology of ophthalmic diseases as well as determining healthcare disparities and barriers to eye care. She also researched on degenerative retinal diseases and contact-lens related adverse effects. She believes herself to be a movie-buff, loves being with her family, exploring, cooking and crossing off national parks with her husband.

Sonny Caplash, MD

Sonny grew up in Monroe, Connecticut. His medical training began with his matriculation into the University of Connecticut’s Combined Program in Medicine. After completion of his undergraduate studies and prior to matriculation to the University of Connecticut’s School of Medicine, Sonny spent 8 weeks in Ludhiana, India as a volunteer to facilitate free cataract surgeries among the underserved. The experience imbued Sonny with a passion for ophthalmology that he pursued as a medical student. He worked with Dr. Royce Mohan studying the protective effect of Withaferin A in corneal fibrosis. After his second year, Sonny was accepted into the Medical Research Scholarship Program at the National Institutes of Health; where he spent a year working with Dr. Hatice Nida Sen in the National Eye Institute. Sonny’s research focused on the efficacy of optical coherence tomography angiography as a new imaging modality in patients with uveitis. Sonny graduated as a member of the Alpha Omega Alpha honor society and is thrilled to be pursuing a career in Ophthalmology at UPMC. Outside of the clinic, Sonny enjoys playing tennis, reliving the glory days of when he was a competitive Bhangra dancer and trying new restaurants.

Jonathan Peterson, MD

Jonathan Peterson was born and raised in Wisconsin where he stayed to complete a BS in Genetics and Mathematics at the University of Wisconsin, graduating with highest honors. While studying he was introduced to the joys of research, completing projects in neurodevelopment and genetics. He continued to foster this love for discovery after graduation, taking a research position at the Blood Center of Wisconsin where he published work on gene regulation in normal development and cancer. He then returned to his formal studies, completing an MD at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania where he also completed a Masters Degree in cell and molecular biology. Jonathan fell in love with ophthalmology during his rotations at the Scheie Eye Institute and the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and he is excited to continue his training at UPMC. His academic interests include gene regulation, stem cell biology, and gene therapy as well as medical student and resident education. He enjoys playing trumpet, cooking, and exploring all that Pittsburgh has to offer.