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Meet Our Staff

Meet the experienced and friendly staff who make Schoonover Eye Care the leading provider of vision care products and services in Peckville.

Briana Braia

I am the Practice Manager at Schoonover Eye Care. I graduated with a Bachelor of Science from The University of Scranton. Since joining Schoonover Eye Care, I have mastered advanced medical technics, ensuring precision in all of your ocular measurement. I am currently studying to become an ABOC to enhance our patients visual needs.

In my role, I am dedicated to delivering empathetic patient care by combining technical expertise with effective communication. I collaborate with healthcare professionals to provide integrated patient care and treatment planning. I also focus on streamlining clinic operations, enhancing efficiency in scheduling, records management, and inventory control.

Previously, I gained valuable customer service experience as a waitress and lead bartender at Zaleski’s Clubhouse in Scranton, PA. Additionally, I completed clinical rotations at Geisinger, Moses Taylor, and Regional Hospitals, where I assisted in patient care and medication administration. I also worked at Pleasantville Pharmacy, ensuring high-quality customer service and assisting with prescription processing. I strive to bring compassion, understanding, and knowledge to our patients every day.

Heet Patel

Hello, my name is Heet. I am from northeast PA and live a few minutes from Peckville. I attended Abington Heights High School where I discovered my passion for healthcare. My goal of becoming a healthcare professional led me to Penn State University where I received my Bachelor of Science degree in Biology. Growing up I saw my grandfather battle vision loss due to glaucoma which changed his whole lifestyle. This led me to shadow doctors in the eye care field where I observed firsthand the impact optometrists make in people’s daily lives. I decided to pursue a lifelong career as an optometrist. I am currently enrolled as an optometry student at Salus in Philadelphia, with an expected graduation year of 2028.

Working at Schoonover Eye Care solidified my decision to become an optometrist. My day-to-day work includes hands-on experience with patients. I get to schedule appointments, answer vision and medical questions patients have, help people select the proper eyeglasses for their needs and lifestyle. I get to spend time with the patient when they arrive for their appointment performing important diagnostic tests and imaging which help give them the most thorough eye examination. I am currently our doctors’ assistant and technician. I work alongside them daily while learning about ocular diseases and pathologies. Most importantly, we discuss ways to best help our patients treat or prevent these conditions. Along with the doctors, I explain the findings to the patients in a clear and easy to understand manner. I love working here and look forward to seeing you in our state of the art clinic either as your optometric technician or as your eye doctor in the future.

Taralyn Reilly

I have been working part-time at Schoonover Eye Care since March of 2018, and it has been a wonderful learning experience. I perform a variety of tasks, including scanning important information into the patients record, filing paperwork so the office can run smoothly, answering the phones, and checking in glasses and contact lens orders. I have also been trained to pre-test patients and capture optical images of the retina.

I am a graduate of Valley View High School. While there, I participated in Leo Club, National Honor Society, student council, and was an active member of the tennis team. I am currently pursuing a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology from The University of Scranton and a member of the women’s tennis team for the University of Scranton. Outside of school and work I enjoy spending time with family and friends and often volunteer at events in the community.

Catherine Pusateri

Hi, my name is Catherine. I started working at Schoonover Eye Care as an intern in January 2019. I am a graduate of Abington Heights High School. I earned my bachelor of science degree in Exercise Science from the University of Scranton. Currently, I am attending Pennsylvania College of Optometry at Salus University to pursue my future career as a competent and compassionate Doctor of Optometry.

I believe in giving back to my community and volunteer for many organizations and events. I have several responsibilities at Schoonover Eye Care but some of my favorite tasks include pretesting, medical scribing, but most of all talking to our patients. I have learned how to perform visual fields, OCTs, icare tonometry, and taking full medical and ocular histories. I am grateful to have the opportunity to have Dr. Schoonover as a mentor and to learn from my fellow colleagues. I have fallen in love with the dynamic environment of optometry and enjoy learning and interacting with our patients.

I have a close relationship with my family and we are all in the healthcare field. My parents are Pharmacists. I am the middle child and have an older sister in medical school and younger brother studying physical therapy. During my free time I enjoy going to my family’s lake house and spending time with my friends and family.

David Calemmo

Hi everyone! My name is David. I’m an optometric technician and patient communication specialist at Schoonover Eye Care. I received my Bachelor of Science degree in Physiology from the University of Scranton. I am currently studying for the MCAT and applying to medical schools. Working in our medical-based optometric practice is preparing me for my future career as a surgeon.

I am a useful member of our team and a reliable resource for our patients. My current duties include preparing your chart for the doctors, scanning medical information into patient records, writing referrals for surgeries, and scheduling. I also specialize in retina imaging, conduct preliminary vision measurements, and assist during minor procedures. I’m a certified EMT (but please don’t have a medical emergency in the office). When I am not studying or working, I enjoy spending time with my friends and relaxing with a movie and ice cream.

Julie Kelly

Hello! I am an office assistant and optometric tech for our doctors. I am definitely a people person and love getting to know all of our patients. I make sure our patients have the best experience in our office and exceed their expectations. I worked in the optical field for many years with Dr. Schoonover.

I left the field for a few years to become a mom to my wonderful daughter Tressa. While being a stay-at-home mom, I worked in the IT field where I honed my skills at problem-solving and troubleshooting issues. I have found these skills paramount in returning to the optical field when my beautiful daughter started school. Currently, I am studying to be a certified paraoptometric in Pennsylvania and look forward to serving our patients even more with my new knowledge.

I was a dog breeder and have shown them at the Westminster Dog Show. In my free time, I enjoy reading and listening to podcasts.