Newly Appointed Faculty
Welcome to our newest faculty members joining DOVS across our affiliated hospitals and divisions.
Dr. Gareth Mercer has joined the Retina Unit at St. Michael’s Hospital. He completed the joint MD-PhD program at the University of British Columbia, followed by ophthalmology residency at McGill University. He then pursued advanced subspecialty training in adult vitreoretinal surgery at Sunnybrook and Toronto Western Hospitals, and pediatric retina at the Hospital for Sick Children. Dr. Mercer’s clinical interests include complex retinal detachment repair and emerging therapies for inherited retinal diseases. His research focuses on improving access to eye care through health services interventions, particularly in underserved settings. He is currently accepting medical, surgical, and pediatric retina referrals at St. Michael’s Hospital, Kensington Eye Institute, Mount Sinai Hospital, and SickKids.
Dr. Ryan Mason has joined the Donald K. Johnson Eye Institute at Toronto Western Hospital as a Comprehensive Ophthalmologist and Lecturer at the University of Toronto. Originally from Nova Scotia, Dr. Mason earned his BSc from St. Francis Xavier University and completed a PhD in Chemistry at the University of British Columbia. Prior to medicine, he worked as an Air Quality Scientist at Environment Canada. He completed his MD and ophthalmology residency at the University of Toronto, where he developed a strong commitment to patient care and teaching. Dr. Mason recently opened his clinic at Toronto Western and is actively engaged in collaborative research. He is pursuing a certificate in Quality Improvement and is expected to take on a leadership role in this area.
Dr. Francesco Pichi has joined the Department of Ophthalmology and Vision Sciences at the University of Toronto as an Associate Professor. He specializes in uveitis and medical retina, with clinical practices at Kensington Eye Institute, St. Michael’s Hospital, and Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre. Dr. Pichi completed a fellowship in uveitis and ocular inflammation at the Cleveland Clinic and spent nine years at Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, where he served as Program Director and Interim Chair of the Eye Institute. He has authored over 180 peer-reviewed publications, with research focused on ocular immunology, imaging biomarkers, and precision medicine in inflammatory eye diseases. We are pleased to welcome Dr. Pichi and his family to Canada and to our department.
Dr. Marko Popovic is a Medical Retina Specialist practicing at St. Michael’s Hospital and Kensington Eye Institute. He completed his clinical fellowship at the Stein and Doheny Eye Institutes at UCLA, working alongside international leaders in retina. Dr. Popovic earned his MD and completed ophthalmology residency at the University of Toronto, and holds a Master of Public Health in Epidemiology from Harvard University. During residency, he served as Chief Resident and received the Kensington Eye Institute Award for Excellence in Surgery. He has authored over 200 peer-reviewed publications and presented more than 400 abstracts at conferences worldwide. Dr. Popovic is committed to collaborative, high-quality patient care across the GTA and currently serves as Deputy Director of Resident Research.