Past Cohorts

Anas Abusaid, MBBS, MMED (OPHTH)
Affiliated Eye Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, China
"I have a passion for geography, especially excelling in memorizing world maps, countries, and their capitals."

Alexandra Zamitalo, MS, BS
University of South Florida, United States
"I'm representing my university at the regional 3-minute thesis competition this year." 

Jeremy Tan, MD, MMed, BSci, 
City, University of London, United Kingdom
"The Interstellar OST helps inspire my research brain."

Pratima Suvas, PhD
Wayne State University, School of Medicine, Detroit, United States
"I love traveling and spending time with my family and our three-year-old pomsky."

Irene Santiago Tierno, MS, BS
University of California, Los Angeles, United States
"When I travel to new places, my favourite pastime is scuba diving. Once, two small seals swam dancing around me. If I could have a superpower, it would be breathing underwater."

Tanu Parmar, PhD
Albert Eye Research Institute, United States
"I was 11 years old when I published my first book on poetry."

Emily Nettesheim, BS
University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, United States
"I traveled to Churchill, Canada to see polar bears and learn how to drive a Tundra Buggy."

Yu Ting Li, BM, MSc, MPH
Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Sun Yat-Sen University, China
"I once had a challenging 6-hour night hiking in the mountain, navigating with mere wave sound and no light. When reaching the endpoint of the path I was greeted with a stunning sunrise, making the whole journey worthwhile."

Syed Adeel Zaidi, PhD, MSc, BSc
Augusta University, United States
"I'm a big fan of board games, Sci-Fi movies, and experimenting with new recipes in the kitchen."

Walter Wu, PhD
The Ohio State University College of Optometry, United States
"Photographic Irony: Despite my visual impairment, I enjoy photography and travel—because who says you need 20/20 vision to appreciate a blurry sunset or capture a once-in-a-lifetime shot of your fingers?"

Cydney Wong, BS
Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University, United States
"I am a 2-time US national champion in synchronized figure skating."

Sierra Sparks, BEng
University of Oxford, United Kingdom
"I row with the Oxford University Boat Club, trialing for the Oxford-Cambridge Boat Race."

Charukesi Sivakumar, BS
University of Michigan, United States
"I own a disc signed by one of the leading Female Professional Disc Golfers, Ohn Scoggins, after her win at the Toboggan course in Milford, Michigan! I am also a part of the University of Michigan Disc Golf Club team, and love spending time on disc golf courses near and far."

Ebenezer Owusu, OD
University of Houston, United States
"I am a massive soccer enthusiast, with unwavering support for Arsenal FC."

Carol Morris, BS
University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, United States
"I love to hike and I hope to one day hike the entire Appalachian Trail."

Randolph Kwaw, OD
University of Houston, United States
"Music holds a special place in my heart and I love listening to it regularly."

Shruthi Karnam, PhD
University of California Berkeley, United States
"I enjoy spending time with my toddler, listening to the Huberman Lab podcast, gardening and traveling."

Grace Borchert, MD, MMed (Ophth), BBiomed(Hon), BMedSci
University of Oxford, United Kingdom
"I enjoy flying, particularly when in the cockpit."

Antoinette Antwi, OD
University of Houston College of Optometry, United States
"I am fascinated by the beauty of nature and hence a fan of landscape art and photography."

Noor-Us-Sabah Ahmad, MBBS
University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, United States
"Acting is one of my favorite hobbies; I've enjoyed working in theatre plays during medical school!"

Kofi Asiedu, OD, FAAO
UNSW School of Optometry and Vision Science, Australia
"I love to pray, share a joke, and lend a helping hand."

Josy Augustine, PhD
Queen's University Belfast, United Kingdom
"I wrote my PhD thesis in 7 weeks."

Alexis Ceecee Britten-Jones, PhD, BOptom (Hons)
University of Melbourne,
"During my PhD, my buddy and I had a post-paper-rejection ritual, which was to eat a packet of super spicy noodles after every rejection. I’m still on the hunt for a grant-rejection ritual."

Giulia Corradetti, MD
Doheny Eye Centers, UCLA, United States
"When I was a child my dream was to move to the United States and I made it come true!"

Ramya Gnanaraj, MD
University of Colorado Anchutz Medical Campus, United States
"I love astrophysics. Carl Sagan's assertion that 'We are made of star stuff' has always fascinated me, and I've been amazed by how a single line can be so motivating and inspiring."

Mahmoud KhalafAllah, MD, MSc, PhD Candidate
University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB), United States
"I am a huge cat enthusiast. Even though I've never had the opportunity to raise a cat myself, I love reading about their history, especially their role in ancient Egypt. It's fascinating to learn about their cultural significance and the way people have revered them throughout history."

Linjiang Lou, PhD
Georgia Institute of Technology, United States
"I have traveled to over 10 different countries and have acquired an extensive magnet collection from all the cities I have visited."

Shubham Maurya, PhD
University of California, Berkeley, United States
"I'm a Star Wars fan, dog lover, and trying to be a good baker."

Rabia Mobeen, PhD
School of Optometry and Vision Sciences , University of New South Wales, Australia

Poonam Naik, PhD
Wilmer Eye Institute, Johns Hopkins University, United States
"I might be able to learn a complete signalling pathway but it's not the same when it comes to remembering people's names."

Alvaro Olate-Perez, MD, MSc, FEBO
Laboratory of Ocular and Systemic Autoimmune Diseases, University of Chile, Chile

Raiza Algernon Perez Lucena, MD
University of Illinois Chicago (UIC), United States
"I won a trophy for playing domino and I'm a salsa dancer pro."

Recivall Salongcay, MD, MPM, DPBO
Queen's University Belfast, United Kingdom
"I've been singing with various amateur choirs since I was 11 years old. My medical school choir once competed at the World Choir Games, and we won 2 silver medals."

Sidra Sarwat, MSc, BOptom
University of New South Wales, Australia
"Exploring new places and traveling is one of my favourite things to do. Over the past few years, I have travelled to seven countries and eleven cities."

Elin Strachan, MSci
University College Dublin, Ireland
"I was voted 'Quietest' in my class in high school – I’ve kept presenting and putting myself out of my comfort zone to allow me to communicate my research."

Eunice You, MD, MSc Candidate
Université Laval, Canada
"There is an asteroid in space named after me."

Yukai Zhao, PhD
New York University, United States
"Love reading books and watching movies about magic, such as the Harry Potter series, because these fictional worlds are feasts for my eyes and mind."

Anne Xuan-Lan Nguyen, MD, CM Candidate
McGill University, Canada
"Outside of research and clinic, I enjoy coaching flag football, competing in national ultimate frisbee tournaments and playing hockey with friends."

Burak Mergen, MD, FEBO
University of Health Sciences, Basaksehir Cam and Sakura City Hospital, Turkey
"I can guess the local wine varietals by tasting."

Cris Martin Jacoba, MD
Beetham Eye Institute, Joslin Diabetes Center, Harvard Department of Ophthalmology, US
"I love standup and improv comedy. I want to do training and participate in a show one day!"

Claudia Thieme, MD, FEBO
University Hospital Bielefeld, Germany
"My true passions are travelling and discovering new cultures and languages."

Eman Alzghoul, PhD Candidate
University of New South Wales, Australia
"I can spend half of my life exploring historical places, and the other half living by the ocean!"

Ester Reina-Torres, PhD
Imperial College London, United Kingdom
"When I was a child, I wanted to be an archaeologist and an astronaut later on, it looks like I always wanted to discover things."

Itika Garg, MD
Harvard Retinal Imaging Lab, Massachusetts Eye and Ear, US
"Meditation is my daily morning practice. I undertook two 10-days long Vipassana silent meditation retreats, which have been the best and most important life-changing experience to date."

Janelle Tong, BSci, BOptom
University of New South Wales, Australia
"Despite being very uncoordinated and injury-prone, I’ve surprisingly never broken any bones!"

Maria Gelmi, MD
Leiden University Medical Center, Netherlands
"I love musical theatre and if I could travel in time, I would go back to 2015 and watch “Hamilton” with the original cast on Broadway."

Paul McCann, PhD, MBChB, MRes
Department of Ophthalmology, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, US
"In my spare time, I enjoy cycling and hiking in the Colorado outdoors."

Tsai-Chu Yeh, MD, MTM
Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taiwan
"I was found to have active perfect pitch when I was 5 years old, and am able to name any musical note played."

Xiao Lin, MBBS, MS
University of Houston, College of Optometry, US
"I burst into laughter by a joke that is not funny at all."

Yanhui Ma, PhD
The Ohio State University, US
"I did my academic training across 4 countries including China, Germany, United Kingdom, and United States."

Ailis Moran, PhD Student, Bsc (Hons) Genetics
School of Biomolecular and Biomedical Science, University College Dublin, 
Dublin, Ireland

Jeremy Chung Bo Chiang, PhD Candidate, BOptom (Hons), BSc
School of Optometry and Vision Science, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of New South Wales
Sydney, Australia

Laura Whelan, BA
Trinity College Dublin, Ireland

Miranda Scalabrino, PhD
Neurobiology Department, Duke University
Durham, N.C., U.S.

Manuel Soliño, MD, PhD
Astellas Gene Therapies, University of California
South San Francisco, Calif.

Michelle Tamplin, PhD, MS
Department of Internal Medicine, University of Iowa
Iowa City, Iowa

Ngozi Charity Chidi-Egboka, OD, PhD, MPH, FNCO, FAAO
School of Optometry and Vision Science, UNSW Sydney
Sydney, Australia

Rachel Williams, OD, MS, BS
University of Houston College of Optometry, Department of Vision Science
Houston, Tex., U.S.

Victor Rodriguez Lopez, MSc
Institute of Optics "Daza de Valdés" - Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, (IO-CSIC)
Madrid, Spain

Yap Tiong Peng, PhD, DIC, MSc, BSc (Hons) Optom, FAAO, FACBO, FCOVD
IGARD - Singapore Vision Therapy Centre
Singapore

Pauline Khoo
The University of Sydney, Save Sight Institute

Divya Jagadeesh
Brien Holden Vision Institute, University of New South Wales

Harshil Dharamdasani Detaram
Centre for Vision Research, Westmead Institute for Medical Research, University of Sydney

Maria Cabrera-Aguas, PhD, MBBS, MIPH
Save Sight Institute, The University of Sydney
Sydney, Australia

Syeda Farina Asghar
University of Calgary

Kristina Pfau, MD, Dr. med
Department of Ophthalmology, University of Basel
Basel, Switzerland

Priya Adhisesha Reddy, PhD
Centre for Public Health, Queen's University Belfast
Belfast, Northern Ireland

Darren Ting
University of Nottingham
Nottingham, England

Cornelia Peterson, DVM, PhD, BS
Johns Hopkins University, Department of Molecular & Comparative Pathobiology
Baltimore, Md.

Katherine Andersh, MS
University of Rochester, Neuroscience Graduate Program
Rochester, NY

Rohan Singh
Massachusetts Eye and Ear, Harvard Medical School

Arathy Kartha, PhD
Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD

Patrice Hicks, PhD, MPH
Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences - University of Michigan
Ann Arbor, Mich.

Brian Thompson
Yale University

Mayur Choudhary, PhD
Opus Genetics
Durham, NC

Khang Huynh, PhD
Vision Science, University of California, Berkeley
Berkeley, Calif.

Meghana Konda
University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health
Madison, Wisconsin

James Sullivan
Florida Atlantic University
Boca Raton, Florida

Chloe Thomas
University of Birmingham

Paul Parker, MD, MS
University of Illinois at Chicago
Chicago, Ill.

Konstantina Sampani
Beetham Eye Institute, Joslin Diabetes Center

Tony Jin
University of Toronto

Rebecca Ward
University College Dublin

Hon Shing Ong
Singapore National Eye Centre/Singapore Eye Research Institute

Helen Jiao
University of Melbourne

Andrea Waksmunski, PhD
Department of Population and Quantitative Health Sciences, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine
Cleveland, OH

Alex Muntz
University of Auckland

Nathan Schuck
University of British Colombia

Melissa Emily Wright
Cardiff University

Salma Ferdous
Emory University

Nilsu Atiglan
University of Minnesota

Ruanne Lai, PhD, MSc, BFA
Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences University of British Columbia, VGH/Eye Care Centre
Vancouver, BC, Canada

Kara Vogel
University of Wisconsin

Jarrod Harman, PhD
Dept. of Ophthalmology: Harvard Medical School | Boston Children's Hospital
Boston, Mass.

Amanda McLaughlin
University of California, Berkeley

Guilherme Neri Pires
Lisbon Central Hospital

Edmund Tsui, MD
UCLA Stein Eye Institute, Dept of Ophthalmology, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA
Los Angeles, CA

Joshua Webb
University of Maryland, College Park

Derek Royer 
United States

Shihan Mahbubul 
United States

Surah Upadhyaya 
United States

Alex Ferdi 
United Kingdom

Neeru Vallabh
United Kingdom

Nilisha Fernando 
Australia

Nauman Hashmani 
Pakistan

Denise Loya
Mexico

Lisa Riedmayr
Germany

Handan Akil
Canada

Bárbara Moura
Brazil

Ana Freitas
Brazil

Ulisse Bocchero 
United States

Hasenin Al-khersan 
USA

Lauren Cornell
USA

Meredith Giblin 
USA

Alison Huckenpahler
USA

Rachel Hutto 
USA

Craig Pearson
USA

Michelle Sun
USA

Alexandria Trujillo 
USA

Krista Kelly
USA

Tasneem Khatib 
UK

Joao Breda 
Portugal

David Sousa
Portugal

Annemijn Wierenga 
Netherlands

Julia Johansson 
Finland

Gustavo Gameiro 
Brazil

Arutur Veloso 
Brazil

Himal Kandel 
Australia

Daisy Shu 
Australia

Mariana Thorell