Thomas Litzinger grew up in Columbus, Ohio and completed his undergraduate training at Miami University. He discovered ophthalmology his second year of medical school while on a medical mission trip in Honduras when his internal medicine team ran into a group of ophthalmologists. After hearing stories of making the blind see with cataract surgery and enabling Honduran doctors to do the same through donating equipment and training, his calling to become an ophthalmologist was realized.
Thomas returned from his trip with a new passion for ophthalmology and international health. Shortly thereafter, he and four of his fellow medical students at Ohio State University founded the non-profit organization Ride For World Health, an annual cross-country cycling trip and lecture series to raise money and awareness for domestic and international healthcare issues.
Thomas chose California Pacific Medical Center because of the opportunities it offers for international rotations, high surgical volume, and camaraderie among residents, attending physicians, and staff.
Thomas’ hobbies include basketball, intramural sports, weight training, acrylic painting, exploring wine country, and the beautiful city of San Francisco.
Robert Kinast, M.D. began his ophthalmology residency with CPMC on November 1, 2007. Originally from Canton, OH, Dr. Kinast completed an eight-year combined undergraduate and medical education program at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor where he majored in Anthropology of Religion. He also spent some time continuing his studies in religion at Oxford, focusing on Theravada Buddhism. Before coming to CPMC, Dr. Kinast completed his intern year at Pennsylvania Presbyterian Hospital in Philadelphia, PA.
Dr. Kinast chose to pursue a career in ophthalmology as he has always had a keen interest in understanding perception – how a visual projection is created in the mind. Additionally, he appreciates that the field allows for a good mix of medicine and surgery. Dr. Kinast was drawn to CPMC’s program by its emphasis in international ophthalmology and is interested in possibly getting involved in a project in the Far East. As a medical student, he spent some time setting up medical missions to various foreign countries. The Program also came highly recommended from alumni Dr. Elbert Magoon, a family friend who had completed a pediatric fellowship at CPMC. Prior to beginning his residency, Dr. Kinast participated in a pre-residency research fellowship with Dr. Anne Fung examining how ophthalmologists can play a role in diabetes education. The results are pending but promise to be of great worth.
In his spare time, Dr. Kinast enjoys basketball, chess, and hiking. He is also a travel enthusiast.
Alison Gordon grew up in San Diego, California. She received a B.A. degree from Princeton University where she majored in cultural anthropology. Alison then moved to New York City where she received her medical education at Mt. Sinai School of Medicine. The city was a great place to live for four years, and Alison enjoyed taking advantage of the Broadway shows, great restaurants, running in central park and everything else NYC has to offer. However, after eight years on the east coast, Alison was ready to come back to California and is very excited to have the amazing opportunity to obtain her ophthalmology training at California Pacific Medical Center. After interviewing at CPMC, she knew that it would be the perfect “family-like” environment in which to work and learn. She was particularly impressed by the outstanding faculty, camaraderie amongst residents, surgical opportunities, and diverse clinical training. Living in San Francisco was also a huge draw to the program. In her free time, Alison enjoys running, skiing, hiking, traveling, baking, spending time with family, trying new restaurants, and exploring SF.
Vincent Gills, M.D. holds an undergraduate degree in Microbiology with a minor in Chemistry from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign where he spent a significant amount of time conducting research on HIV and Salmonella. Dr. Gills then attended Emory University School of Medicine where he was a Dean’s Scholar, President of the Student National Medical Association, and pioneer of the only glaucoma screening program in Atlanta called “Student Sight Savers.”
Dr. Gills chose ophthalmology because he felt that it combined all of the qualities that he was looking for in a specialty – the ability to perform intricate procedures, a high volume of pathology, the opportunity to perform outreach, and the ability to study international models. Early on, Dr. Gills knew he wanted to work in international healthcare. While growing up in an urban environment, he often saw that access to health care was limited and wondered how health care systems in countries with much fewer resources were designed. As a medical student, Dr. Gills spent time studying pediatric ophthalmology in Mexico and hopes during his residency to visit other health care settings abroad. In particular, he would like to visit the Aravind Eye Hospital in India or hospitals in Latin America. In his spare time, Dr. Gills enjoys Latin ballroom dancing. His favorite types are Samba, Bachata, and Cumbia. He also enjoys hiking and fishing.
Dustin Pomerleau, M.D. was raised in rural central Massachusetts. He studied music composition as an undergraduate at the Setnor School of Music within Syracuse University, where his performance areas included classical and jazz guitar. His premedical coursework was completed at Brandeis University, and he subsequently attended medical school at the University of Massachusetts. Prior to beginning his residency at California Pacific, he completed an internship year in Burlington Vermont. Dr. Pomerleau chose ophthalmology as a career because of the opportunities to impact quality of life, as well as the highly specialized and meticulous surgical technique. Early on in medical school, Dr. Pomerleau began training in the powerful and compassionate martial art of Aikido, which he continues to this day. He chose the California Pacific Ophthalmology program because of its ability to identify and bring out the unique strengths of each of its residents, and because of the extensive surgical training.
Andrew C. Black, M.D. grew up in Baton Rouge, Louisiana and earned a B.S. in Microbiology at Louisiana State University before heading to New Orleans to attend Medical School at LSU’s Health Sciences center. Dr. Black first became interested in ophthalmology during his last two years in medical school when he spent time observing patients with his uncle, a practicing pediatric ophthalmologist. He found himself fascinated with the eye, and states that “the visual system is beautiful in so many ways, from the basic anatomy of the eye to the integral role that vision plays in the human experience.”
Dr. Black was intrigued by the abundant opportunities to practice international medicine in the field of ophthalmology. Upon visiting Mexico on a medical mission with ophthalmologists, Dr. Black solidified his decision to pursue ophthalmology as his chosen career.
In his fourth year of medical school, Dr. Black had the opportunity to complete a rotation in the CPMC Department of Ophthalmology. He was impressed with the excellent faculty, the collegial atmosphere, and the combined clinical and surgical experience among residents. After having "tested the waters and loved it," CPMC was a hands-down winner when it came time to choose a residency program. Dr. Black is looking forward to traveling to the Aravind Eye Hospital in India as part of his CPMC residency experience.
In his spare time, Dr. Black enjoys reading, playing the guitar, playing tennis, and exploring the Bay Area's neighborhoods with his wife, Dawn, and their chocolate Labrador retriever.
Unni Nair, M.D. was born in Detroit, Michigan and lived in Montgomery, Alabama and India until age 16. After returning to the US, he attended the University of South Alabama and went on to medical school at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Drawing from his father's experiences as a psychiatrist, Dr. Nair knew from a young age that he too wanted to be a doctor. It was in his second year as a medical student that he became drawn to the ophthalmology specialty, inspired by an ophthalmologist who mentored him. Dr. Nair believes ophthalmology to be a fulfilling career. He calls ophthalmology a happy field, one that marries the technical aspects of surgery with the close interaction with patients. While applying for residencies, Dr. Nair heard great things about the California Pacific Medical Center residency program, such as the roster of world-renown attending ophthalmologists and its supportive environment that is conducive to learning. He is primarily drawn to the great blend of clinical and surgical activities. In his spare time Dr. Nair enjoys playing basketball, hiking, kayaking, watching independent movies, and exploring the neighborhoods of San Francisco.
Jon Wender, M.D. was born and raised on Long Island, where he was an ocean lifeguard, played high school football, and swam competitively for 12 years. While in college, he tutored Organic Chemistry to his peers and taught science to underprivileged inner-city children. After graduating from Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia, he moved back to New York to complete medical school at Albert Einstein College of Medicine. He finished his internship in internal medicine at Beth Israel Medical Center in Manhattan, after which he spent four months traveling the world and taking Spanish classes. Dr. Wender was immediately impressed by the positive, enthusiastic attitude of the residents and the faculty at CPMC. He was further drawn to the program because of the unmatched surgical and clinical experience. Dr. Wender looks forward to the opportunity offered by CPMC to travel overseas and experience the practice Ophthalmology from a new perspective. He has a passion for long distance running and surfing, which he continues to pursue in the Bay area.
Nikolas London, M.D. has, up until now, split his life between California and Ohio. Nik holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Physiological Science from UCLA, where he had the opportunity to complete research using robotics to study spinal cord plasticity. Nik attended Case Western Reserve University where he obtained a second master’s degree (in Anatomy) concurrent with his medical studies.
Nik is excited to be finalizing his formal medical education in ophthalmology at California Pacific Medical Center. It combines a hands-on medicine rich in pathology, cutting-edge technology, and intricate microsurgery. On top of all this, ophthalmology enables high patient and practitioner satisfaction.
Nik’s extracurricular interests are as important as his curricular ones. In addition to spending time with his wife, Vanessa, Nik enjoys contemporary art, music, film, and literature. Some of his favorite artists include Sigur Ros, Akira Kurosawa, and Roberto Bolano.