Keith MacGregor
Current university: M.D. Candidate at the University of Illinois College of Medicine
Date of Internship: 2024-2025
My experience at Grassi Retina was transformative, filled with personal growth, friendships, and memories for which I will always be grateful. It set the standard for the medical care that I wish everyone could receive, and I am incredibly fortunate that this has served as the foundation for my medical career. As a premedical student, this internship provided a unique opportunity that challenged and prepared me in the best ways for a career in medicine. I began the internship with minimal clinical experience, but quickly learned how much everyone there wants you to succeed and grow. I left with a skill set that applies not only to every specialty in medicine but also to life itself. Because of this internship, I started medical school feeling confident in communicating with patients, taking medical histories, explaining procedures and diagnoses, and much more. I also learned how a successful private practice operates, how to collaborate effectively in a team environment, and how to present what I’ve learned to others. Dr. Grassi is one of the most compassionate people I have ever met – his interactions with patients and mentorship have taught me what I could never gain from a textbook. I highly recommend this internship to anyone remotely considering it!
Jake Rosenthal
Current university: Florida International University Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine
Date of Internship: 2022-2023
When I first began at Grassi Retina, I was nervous about how I would do. I had never had a clinical job before and was worried I wouldn’t be up to it. Thankfully, with just a short training period, I found myself getting right into the groove of clinical work, learning valuable skills such as teamwork, patience, and perseverance. Then, when I arrived at medical school, I found that my clinical skills were leaps and bounds beyond any of my classmates. Even now, finishing my second year of medical school, I find clinical exams to be second nature, something I’m sure wouldn’t be the case without my time with Dr. Grassi. It was inspiring to work at an office with such a focus on patient satisfaction, and I’ve yet to see any doctor or office who takes such care to ensure that their patients are relaxed and cared for. I can only hope that I can take what I learned in my year at Grassi Retina to provide the same level of care for my patients in my future as a doctor.
Roshni K.
Current University: Loyola University of Chicago Stritch School of Medicine
Date of Internship: 2021-2022
My internship with Grassi Retina was transformative in my understanding of what it means to be a physician. The clinical training, education, and practice immerses you in the heart of medicine. To this day, my standard of care is based on the diligence, compassion, and precision that I learned from Dr. Grassi. As an intern, I was given incredible opportunities that strengthened my learning and technique, from preparing and assisting intravitreal injection procedures to conducting retinal angiograms to presenting ophthalmic pathologies at weekly meetings with our team. My favorite outcome of this experience has been the friendships. My co-interns are all in medical schools across the country and we are still such great friends! It is awesome to be part of the Grassi Retina community and I highly recommend this internship!
Sydney Pirkle
Current University: Oklahoma State University College of Osteopathic Medicine, Class of 2025
Residency: Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at Jefferson Einstein-Moss Rehabilitation Center
Date of Internship: August 2020 – May 2021
I often think about my time at Grassi Retina. When I joined the team, it was at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, and I was simultaneously applying for medical school. I found a home at Grassi Retina. I learned how to exemplify expert medical retinal care under the guidance of Dr. Grassi in how he communicated with patients and through learning during presentations in weekly meetings. Now, after many presentations and learning experiences in medical school, I can see exactly what Dr. Grassi was preparing me for. He teaches the structure and ideals of medicine and sets that as the foundation for medical students to take and expand on in their future training. I matched into Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (PM&R), and even though it is a different specialty, I can easily relate my passion for PM&R to what I learned at Grassi Retina.
Grassi Retina is a well-run medical team that cares well for patients and each other, and I am forever grateful that it was the foundation of my medical career.
Megan
Internship Year: 2022-2023
M.D. Candidate at the Medical College of Wisconsin
My experience at Grassi Retina was truly transformative—full of personal growth, clinical challenges, and meaningful relationships. This internship became the foundation for how I view excellent medical care: compassionate, precise, and always patient-centered. From assisting with intravitreal injections to performing angiograms, I was immersed in high-stakes clinical work. Dr. Grassi and the incredible team
of nurses created a supportive environment that helped me develop my technical skills and gain invaluable experience that I couldn’t have received elsewhere. Weekly reflection meetings challenged me to think critically about my patient interactions and constantly improve. Working so closely with a physician who modeled both clinical excellence and deep empathy taught me what it means to truly put patients first. The emphasis on collaboration was clear: physicians, nurses, and interns worked as a team, and I quickly felt like part of a family. One of the most unique and lasting aspects of this internship is the tight-knit intern community. Many of us are now in medical schools across the country, still sharing advice and supporting each other; one of my fellow interns even helped guide my MCAT prep. This internship didn’t just prepare me for medical school—it shaped the kind of physician I hope to become: confident, collaborative, compassionate, and endlessly curious. I cannot recommend it highly enough to any premedical student!