DE LA PEÑA EYE CLINIC - Key Persons
Andrea was born and raised in beautiful and bustling Southern California. She received a Bachelor of Science degree in Kinesiology at California State University Northridge. After a decade of clinical practice and several leadership positions within the organizations for which she has worked, she decided to pursue her lifelong dream of achieving a Master's degree in Business Administration with an emphasis on Healthcare Administration from the University of Colorado Denver. Andrea brings multi-discipline management experience to DLP Eye Group. She has a particular interest in business operations as well as in strategic management. She is a member of the Medical Group Management Association and the American College of Healthcare Executives.
Outside of work, Andrea enjoys spending time outdoors being active and she also loves going to football and baseball games whenever she gets the chance. She is a foodie at heart and prioritizes traveling to take in the cuisines of the world.
S, Li, J.J. Overman, D. Katsman, S.V. Kozlov, C.J. Donnelly, J.L. Twiss, R.J. Giger, G. Coppola, D.H. Geschwind, S.T. Carmichael. An age-related transcriptome provides molecular control of axonal sprouting after stroke. Nature Neuroscience; 13(12): 1496-1504. 2010
Dr. Allegra Burgher is from Michigan, where she received a Bachelor of Science degree in Vision Science and her Doctor of Optometry degree at the Michigan College of Optometry at Ferris State University. Dr. Burgher then moved to Anaheim, CA, to further specialize in Pediatric Optometry and Vision Therapy at the Southern California College of Optometry at Marshall B. Ketchum University. She has continued her journey of academia with MBKU as an assistant professor where she is active in the teaching clinics, didactic courses and labs, and several national and international research studies.
Dr. Burgher enjoys giving back to her community by providing optometric services to patients of all ages in English and Spanish. She frequently volunteers at vision screening events. Dr. Burgher is a Fellow of the American Academy of Optometry.
During her spare time, Dr. Burgher enjoys playing soccer, spending time outside, and learning photography.
Languages
English
Dr. Benjamin Mandel grew up in Los Angeles, California. His passion has always been medicine, and since a very early age, he has always wanted to become a doctor. He graduated from the University of Southern California with a degree in Economics and a minor in Natural Sciences and then went on to Study Medicine at Chicago Medical School. Dr. Mandel always wanted to be a surgeon, but found general surgery lost the finesse of patient relationships and application of medicine. He finds that with ophthalmology, not only does he get to practice his love of surgery, but also continue to incorporate medicine into this practice. He loves that ophthalmology is generally a happy field, where he can return people's vision and give them back their livelihood.
Dr. Mandel continued his training in Ophthalmology at Eastern Virginia Medical School where he worked at five different hospitals, covering call at level one trauma centers and advancing his surgical skills in all fields of ophthalmology. He had special interests in Oculoplastics and cataract surgery and was fortunate to do more cases than most residents when he graduated from residency.
Dr. Mandel joined DLP Eye Group in 2014 and loves the work he does. He specializes in cataract surgery, premium lens implantation, pterygium removal, and minor lid procedures. Most recently he has become one of the members of the Governing Board at DLP Eye Group.
Dr. Mandel loves that he is able to give people back their vision, and lives, with the help of modern medicine and ophthalmology. He says that it is extremely gratifying to hear patients say that they can once again see the faces of their families and loved ones after cataract surgery.
Dr. Carolina Ruiz is a residency-trained optometrist born in Colombia and raised in Miami, Florida. She attended Florida International University and obtained a Bachelor of Science with an emphasis in Biology. Dr. Ruiz achieved her Doctor of Optometry and Bachelor of Visual Science degrees from the Nova Southeastern University in Davie, Florida. She also completed her residency program in primary care and ocular disease at the West Los Angeles VA Medical Center where she provided care to veterans.
Her scope of practice includes primary care optometry, contact lenses, treatment and management of ocular diseases such as glaucoma, macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, dry eyes disease, as well as post-operative care areas like cataract surgery, pterygium excision, and glaucoma surgeries.
Dr. Ruiz enjoys giving back to the community, and providing eye care by participating in the Special Olympics and mission trips to underprivileged countries.
Dr. Evelyn Perez is a residency-trained optometrist, with extensive clinical experience in multispecialty group settings. Her scope of practice includes comprehensive optometry and primary eye care; the diagnosis and management of various eye conditions including glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy, and macular degeneration; preoperative and postoperative care associated with ocular surgeries including cataracts, refractive surgery, pterygium, blepharoplasty, and strabismus.
Dr. Perez received her Bachelor of Science degree in Biology from Adelphi University in New York. She then attended the Illinois College of Optometry, in Chicago, where she earned her Doctor of Optometry and Bachelor of Science in Visual Science degrees. Following optometry school, she completed a hospital-based residency in ocular disease and medical optometry at the West Los Angeles Veteran's Affairs Medical Center (West LA VAMC). In addition to providing optometric and primary eye care in an interdisciplinary environment, she participated in medical service rotations and grand round presentations. During this time, Dr. Perez served as a clinic instructor to optometry students on externship rotation from the Southern California College of Optometry. She has been published in a peer-reviewed journal and she has presented at the American Academy of Optometry on her research topic of ocular melanoma. As a resident, she lectured at the Southern California College of Optometry and the Geriatric Research Education Care Center at the West LA VAMC.
After completing her residency, Dr. Perez served as a clinic instructor to third and fourth-year optometry students at the Illinois Eye Institute of the Illinois College of Optometry. Upon her return to California, she also served as clinic instructor to fourth-year optometry students at the Optometric Center of Los Angeles of the Southern California College of Optometry. As a result of her instructor experience, she was selected to serve as a clinical examiner for the National Board of Examiners in Optometry.
Dr. Perez is fluent in Spanish. She enjoys photography, traveling, and volunteering to work on community service projects for various organizations throughout the San Gabriel Valley. She is dedicated to providing patient care with compassion and she is honored to serve the patients at DLP Eye Group.
Dr. Melissa Mayberry grew up in a small town in rural Iowa where at the age of sixteen decided to become an Ophthalmologist. She graduated with honors in Biology and received her Medical Degree, both from the University of Iowa. During her graduate years, she worked alongside top Cornea professors studying Keratoconus and using the newest technology of the time.
Dr. Mayberry continued her path and was accepted into the prestigious Doheny residency program at the University of Southern California. It was here where she established herself as an excellent surgeon and diagnostician at the famous LA County Hospital. She had special interests in anterior segment surgery and glaucoma management and absorbed the talents of many world-class professors during the three years of post-graduate training.
Dr. Mayberry joined DLP Eye Group in 2002 and has been there ever since. She specializes in cataract surgery, premium lens implantation, glaucoma laser and surgery, pterygium removal, and minor lid procedures. After performing thousands of procedures, Dr. Mayberry shared her talents and experience with residents at the West LA Veterans Hospital where she volunteered for several years to teach surgical procedures. Most recently she took on the leadership role as Medical Director for the Med Laser Surgical Center and currently is on a leadership advisory board for Covenant Physician Partners.
Each day, Dr. Mayberry finds satisfaction and gratification in helping so many people improve their sight, their lives, and the local community. "It is an honor to be able to do what I do."
Esperanza Castro was born in Los Angeles but raised in Texas, before joining DLP Eye Group over 25 years ago. She began her career in the call center and has served as an office since 1989, covering all six locations through the years. She is dedicated to helping her community and serving patients in each of the neighborhoods of DLP. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with her three beautiful granddaughters.
Dr. Hamideh Moayedpardazi joined the DLP Eye Group in 2016. Dr. Moayedpardazi was born and raised in Tempe, Arizona. She graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a Bachelor of Arts in the Biological Basis of Behavior. She attended the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York, NY where she also completed her residency in ophthalmology. She subsequently underwent additional training at the Shiley Eye Center at UC San Diego, completing a glaucoma fellowship in 2016.
Dr. Moayedpardazi's areas of interest in ophthalmology include cataract surgery including the use of premium IOLs (i.e toric, Panoptic, Vivity lenses) and the medical, laser (peripheral iridotomy and Selective Laser trabeculoplasty) and surgical management of glaucoma including minimally invasive surgery such as istent, kahook dual blade goniotomy, iaccess goniotomy, Streamline goniotomy as well as Xen and Ahmed glaucoma implants.
Dr. Moayedpardazi lives in Los Angeles and enjoys hiking, swimming, reading, attending the theater and orchestra as well as traveling and spending time with friends and loved ones.
Job Titles:
- Medical Student Research Fellowship ( 2004 )
- Medical Student Research Fellowship Additional Year of Research ( 2005 ) Investigating the Genetic Profile of Regenerating Neurons After Stroke Within the Peri - Infarct Cortex
Howard Hughes Medical Student Research Fellowship Additional Year of Research (2005) Investigating the genetic profile of regenerating neurons after stroke within the peri-infarct cortex.
S. Li, J. J. Overman, D. Katsman, G. Coppola, D. H. Geschwind, S. T. Carmichael: The insulin-like growth factor-1 system is associated with axonal sprouting in the somatosensory cortex of the mouse after stroke. Society for Neuroscience Meeting (2008).
Job Titles:
- Clinical Services Manager at DLP Eye Group
Krisel Flores is the Clinical Services Manager at DLP Eye Group with over 18 years of experience in ophthalmology. She began her career as a technician in a solo private practice and quickly developed a passion for ophthalmology. She gained her certification as a technician from the Joint Commission on Allied Health Personnel in Ophthalmology where she maintains her active membership.
Dr. Huang is an esteemed clinician, scientist, and surgeon specializing in the medical and surgical treatment of diseases of the retina and vitreous. She currently serves as the Director of Retina Service at DLP Eye Group, where she brings her wealth of knowledge and experiences in vitreoretinal diseases to the practice.
Dr. Huang received a Bachelor of Science with magna cum laude from UCLA and was awarded Phi Beta Kappa for excellence in liberal arts and sciences. She then attended the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, where she excelled in academics and community services. Some of her numerous awards included California Endowment Scholarship for academic excellence, Viola G. Hyde Scholarship for outstanding performance in surgery, and Max Kade Fellowship as an academic ambassador to Austria.
Following medical school, Dr. Huang completed her residency in ophthalmology at Montefiore Medical Center, Albert Einstein College of Medicine in Bronx, New York, where she served a largely underserved population. She then completed a fellowship in vitreoretinal surgery at Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary/ Harvard Medical School in Boston, MA, where she trained with world experts in the retina.
Dr. Huang holds a master's degree in Health Management and Policy from Harvard School of Public Health in Boston, Massachusetts, with a thesis focusing on decision analysis in public health policy. Furthermore, she was a fellow and co-investigator at the National Eye Institute in Bethesda, MD, where she worked on the Age-Related Eye Diseases Study (AREDS) with internationally renowned investigator Dr. Emily Chew on age-related macular degeneration.
Dr. Huang has presented at various national academic meetings and published numerous articles in respected peer-reviewed journals, including Ophthalmology, Seminar in Ophthalmology, and Investigative Ophthalmology and Visual Science. Her research interests include age-related eye diseases, macular holes, retinal detachment, ocular imaging, and epidemiology. She is a member of the American Academy of Ophthalmology, the American Society of Retina Specialists, the Association of Research in Vision and Ophthalmology, and Women in Ophthalmology.
Prior to joining DLP, Dr. Huang was an assistant professor in ophthalmology at Loma Linda University, where she treated patients, conducted research, and taught medical students, residents, and fellows.
Outside of work, Dr. Huang enjoys Latin dancing, various water sports, and traveling the world. She has worked in Honduras with the international health organization Unite for Sight. She also loves learning languages and speaks English, Chinese (Cantonese and Mandarin), Spanish, and French.
Job Titles:
- Executive Director
- Executive Director of DLP Eye Group
Mary Gamez serves as the Executive Director of DLP Eye Group, providing oversight for all clinic operations. Mary began her career in healthcare working in various capacities at an ophthalmology practice in Los Angeles, before spending the past decade in ASC management. Mary has extensive experience in revenue cycle operations, business development, leadership, and financial management.
Mary is a proud mother and grandmother.
Mercedes has been with DLP Eye Group for over 20 years, leading various teams and divisions. In her current role, Mercedes has oversight for all functions of our business operation - referrals, authorizations, intake, credentialing, and revenue cycle.
In her personal time, she enjoys spending time with her sons and watching the Dodgers.
Dr. Azarian studied Major in Biology & Minor in Near Eastern Languages and Cultures at University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). She received her Doctor of Optometry from the Marshall B. Ketchum University in Fullerton, CA. She completed her clinical training at VA West Los Angeles Medical Center, Cedars Sinai Medical Center, NVISION at New Port Beach, etc She is licensed to practice in the State of California and Oklahoma. In the OK, she is fully licensed to perform YAG Laser Capsulotomy, Selective Laser Trabeculoplasty (SLT), Laser Peripheral Iridotomy (LPI) and perform minor in-office surgical procedures. Through her continuing education, she strives to advance in the field of Optometry and deliver state-of-the-art care to her patients. Dr. Azarian performs collaborative, patient-centric comprehensive examination for adult and pediatric populations; including prevention/diagnosis/treatment/management of various ocular disorders; determining refractive status/accommodative functions; prescribing spectacle lenses, fitting soft and specialty contact lenses including rigid-gas permeable and sclera lenses; performing low vision examination; and performing pre & post operative cataract and LASIK patient care. The doctor is fluent in English/ Armenian/ Russian. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her family, reading and playing golf.
Job Titles:
- University College of Optometry. Doctor of Optometry. Davie, Florida
S. T. Carmichael, I. Archibeque, T. Nolan, L. Luke, S. Li, D. Katsman: Stroke induces a unique profile of neuronal growth-associated genes in the region of axonal sprouting. Society for Neuroscience Meeting (2004), Keystone Conference (2005).
D. Katsman, S. T. Carmichael: Focal cortical stroke induces reactivation of developmentally regulated proteins within areas of partial damage. Society for Neuroscience Meeting (2002).
Dr. Zamarripa was born and raised in Southern California. She received a Bachelor of Science degree in Health Science at Cal State Fullerton. Afterwards, she pursued her Optometry degree at Marshall B. Ketchum University. Her externship rotations included Castle Family Health Center in California, Salem VA Medical Center in Oregon, and Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam in Hawaii. During these rotations, Dr. Zamarripa was able to explore her interests in primary eye care and the treatment and management of ocular diseases.
She enjoys giving back to her community by providing optometric services in English and Spanish. Dr. Zamarripa has done various humanitarian projects in Mexico, Peru and locally where she was able to provide underserved communities with ocular care.
During her spare time, Dr. Zamarripa enjoys spending it with her husband, family, and friends. She also enjoys taking her pembroke corgi, Butters, on long walks and going to the movies.
Dr. Susan Ung is a licensed therapeutic, glaucoma, and Paragon CRT certified optometrist. She earned her Bachelor of Science and Minor in Management degree from the University of California, Irvine. Dr. Ung advanced to receive her Doctor of Optometry degree from the New England College of Optometry in Boston, Massachusetts.
Dr. Ung has been working at the DLP Eye Group, an Optometry-Ophthalmology clinic, since 2003. She served as a clinical instructor for many years and enjoys providing eye care services to the community with the knowledge and skills she possesses. She encounters and treats various ocular diseases, such as dry eye disease, uveitis, corneal ulcer, conjunctivitis, etc. on a daily basis. She diligently removes the foreign bodies of the cornea and conjunctiva with her gentle hands. Moreover, Dr. Ung has great relationships with the Ophthalmologists in the clinic where she co-manages surgeries, including cataract and glaucoma surgeries, pterygium excision, blepharoplasty, and vitrectomy.
Dr. Ung also performs specialty contact lens fitting. She fits CRT contact lens, keratoconus gas permeable contact lens, scleral lens, and multifocal and soft toric contact lenses. As a certified Paragon CRT eye care professional, her goal is to utilize orthokeratology (Ortho-K) to control the progression of myopia and at the same time allow patients to be free of glasses. She feels great satisfaction when she sees her young patients having great vision and very happy with their CRT contact lenses.
In her spare time, she loves to garden and walk her dog. She also likes to travel with her family when her children are on school breaks.
Dr. Thien-Thu Nguyen attended and graduated in 2001 with her Bac helor of Science degree in Biology at th e University of California San Diego and rec eiv ed her doctorate de gree in optometry fr om the Inter-American Univer sity of Puerto Rico in 200 5 with a bilingual English/Sp anish program.
During the las t year of optome tr y sc hool, Dr. Nguyen we nt back to So uth ern Califo rn ia fo r her clinical externship at the De La Peña Eye Clinic in th e spr ing of 2005, whe re sh e ga ined ex ten sive experience in the treatment and managem ent of oc ular dis ea ses su ch as gl au coma, catara ct, dry eyes and dia be tic re ti nop at hy. In the summer of 200 5, after grad uat io n, sh e wa s hired to joi n th e De La Peña Eye Clinic an d sh e ha s bee n wi th the team since the n.
Dr. Nguyen is licens ed to practice op to met ry at the hi ghe st lev el, includin g th e use of diagnosti c an d the rapeutic pha rmaceu tical agen ts, perf orm ing lacrimal dilat ion and ir rigation, treatment of eye inf ec tions, eye inj ur ie s, dry eyes, and gl aucoma. In add iti on to pr ima ry ey e care servi ce s, sh e pro vi des contac t len s fi ttin g, includin g soft contact lense s, ri gi d gas pe rmeable lenses, scl eral len se s, and ov ern ig ht orth oker at olo gy. Dr. Ngu ye n als o provides management for post-op era tiv e cat ar act pa ti ents and La sik.
Dr. Mishima grew up in Southern California and attended UC San Diego and graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in biology. After college, he received his doctorate degree from Pacific University College of Optometry in Forest Grove, Oregon. He received his clinical training at the San Diego Naval Hospital and various outpatient clinics in the Portland area.
Dr. Mishima has been with DLP Eye Group for more than 20 years and is currently an optometrist at our Huntington Park office. Before joining DLP, he worked at several private practices and was Director of Optometry at Community Health Foundation of East LA.
His interest includes primary eye care and medical optometry with an emphasis on post-op care and the diagnosing, treatment, and co-management of various ocular conditions and diseases. Dr. Mishima was one of the first optometrists to be certified to treat glaucoma in California.
Outside of work Dr. Mishima enjoys spending time with his family, taking trips to Hawaii and Las Vegas, exercising, and going on his annual deep-sea fishing trip. He speaks both English and Spanish.
Dr. Andon was born and raised in Southern California. He received a Bachelor of Science in Biology and a minor in Mathematics at UCLA. He pursued his Optometry degree at the Western University of Health Sciences. His externship rotations included Eisner Health/ChapCare in California, Ernest Childers VA Clinic in Oklahoma, Newington VA Medical Center in Connecticut, and The Vision Center of West Phoenix in Arizona. Dr. Andon expanded his knowledge on contact lens fittings, primary eye care, and treating and managing ocular diseases. He enjoys giving back to his community by providing optometric services in English and Spanish.
Outside of work, Dr. Andon enjoys spending time with family, friends, and his Frenchie Montie. He also enjoys traveling and attending live concerts.
Job Titles:
- Scholarship for Outstanding
Viviana was born and raised in Los Angeles, California. She has been a member of DLP Eye Group since May of 1999 and has experience working in all departments and at all six locations. Having started as a member of the front office team at the Santa Ana and Van Nuys clinics, she quickly moved into a position in the optical department where she oversaw the inventory for all locations. She became a manager of the Van Nuys branch in 2003. As of 2021, she became a regional manager overseeing three locations. She enjoys all aspects of her job especially interacting with patients.
Outside of work, Viviana is a devoted mother, wife, and grandmother to her five wonderful children, her husband of 32 years, and her two grandchildren.