Our Doctors
Marcella Birk, OD
Optometrist
Optometrist Dr. Marcella Birk does preoperative and post-operative care at Gimbel Eye Centre. She has lived in Ontario and Nova Scotia, and relocated to Calgary in 2004, attracted by the city's vibrant and growing community - as well as the mountains nearby. "I knew about Gimbel's excellent reputation for quality clinical care," she adds. "I believe that when one aligns themself with excellence, that excellence pushes and encourages you to advance yourself."
Dr. Birk studied at the Illinois College of Optometry in Chicago, receiving her Doctor of Optometry in 2002. That year she also received her TPA certification allowing her to prescribe medications.
Dr. Birk knew from the age of 12 that she wanted to be an optometrist. It all stemmed from a field trip, where she participated in a career conference. "An optometrist at the conference showed us coloured contact lenses," she explains. "She had colour transparencies that you could hold up to your eyes to see how they would change. I thought that was just the coolest!"
As Dr. Birk grew up, her motivations matured, but the goal never changed. She looked for opportunities that would allow her to follow her career path. She started out as a receptionist at a private practice in Oakville, Ontario. The optometrist there became her mentor, and gradually taught her more and more, leading to dispensing, ophthalmic assisting and laser surgery consultations.
She helped pay for her professional education by working as an ophthalmic technician in the school's optical and clinical suites. To broaden her experience she deliberately moved to different locations for her clinical rotations. Her favourite rotation was on an Indian Reservation in Rosebud, South Dakota. "I had the opportunity to work in a military hospital there," she says, "and to learn of the culture and plight of the people."
As a student, she also participated in Student Volunteers of Optometric Services to Humanity as secretary and fund-raising coordinator. She took part in a mission to Costa Rica, where people camped out on the street overnight, like a rock concert, just to be seen by an optometrist.
Dr. Birk gets great satisfaction in helping people see and in creating a personal connection with patients who need her help. "Vision is such a precious sense people enjoy in their lives, yet it is such an enigma," she says. "I enjoy arming my patients with knowledge so they can feel in control."
In her free time, Dr. Birk enjoys walking, woodworking and has just taken up the art of working with stained glass.
