The Katsev family, including UMSL Optometry alumni Cailyn Katsev Ruck, Julia “Kiki” Katsev Larson and Nina Katsev, gathered for Cailyn’s graduation in 2017. (Photos courtesy of the Katsev family)

By Kala Dunn, University Advancement

Many alumni proudly say that the University of Missouri–St. Louis campus feels like home – a sentiment that is especially poignant for the Katsev family, which includes three UMSL graduates spanning two generations. 

Dr. Nina Katsev and her daughters, Dr. Cailyn Katsev Ruck and Dr. Julia “Kiki” Katsev Larson, all earned their doctorates from the UMSL College of Optometry, joining a family profession that extends even beyond their UMSL legacy. Nina’s husband, Dr. Doug Katsev, is an ophthalmologist, and their youngest son, Blake, is finishing medical school with plans to follow the same path. 

The Katsev family’s collective path into eyecare was not perfectly linear. While Doug was committed to becoming an ophthalmologist from the beginning, Nina originally trained as a physician assistant.  

“Doug was in med school and wanted to go back to St. Louis for his internship and residency,” Nina said. “I got there with him. Then there was no legislation in Missouri for PAs. I wondered, ‘Now what do I do?’ Since the optometry school at UMSL is great, I decided to go there.” 

Dr. Nina Katsev examines a patient during a week-long medical mission trip in Uganda.

While the decision to become an optometrist may not have been her original choice, Nina recalled a wonderful experience at UMSL that translated into an impactful career.  

“All of the faculty were very knowledgeable, and they were very approachable,” she said. “I had Cailyn early in the education process, and everyone was so accommodating. They even let me do my fourth year in California after Doug had gotten his fellowship at UCLA.” 

Like their mother, the Katsev daughters also began their collegiate journeys in different fields. 

“My sister and I were not medical majors,” Cailyn said. “She was communications, and I was economics. So, it wasn’t always that we were going to do optometry. But once we switched and I started taking pre-med classes, there was really no reason to go anywhere else than UMSL. We had the best time.” 

“My dad was an ophthalmologist and my mom was an optometrist, of course, but also Cailyn and I both had terrible eyes,” Kiki said. “I wore glasses when I was 2, and she got hers when she was 4. The profession has always been right there in front of us. When Cailyn went [to UMSL], she was my idol, so I had to go, too.” 

Despite the years between their experiences, the family found common threads in their time at UMSL, from memorable professors like Drs. Aaron Franzel, Carl Bassi, Ed Bennett, Vinita Henry and Larry Davis to the warm atmosphere and collegiality that existed within the program. 

“It was a small class size, so we were able to become like one family,” Cailyn said.  

Kiki added, “We met [our] best friends there that we’re still in contact with. If I have questions at work with an optometry issue, I can ask my family or friends from school. Altogether, it was a great experience for all of us.” 

That shared spirit of service also carried beyond the classroom. A week-long medical mission trip to Africa – taken while Cailyn and Kiki were UMSL students – left a lasting impression on the entire family.  

“We wanted them to have that experience and to be able to help someone with their eyes – to observe almost immediate results from a surgery that lets someone see their children for the first time, or their grandchildren,” Nina said. “A cataract surgery takes 10 minutes to complete, and then your world is changed immediately.” 

Kiki added: “It was taking what we were learning and bringing it into the real world. I had just finished my first year and had just learned to take VAs (visual acuity), how to take pressures, and how to take keratometry readings. I wasn’t as much help as Cailyn, who was a second year, but it was really nice to be able to bring that right away. And then I learned so much, too.” 

“That’s another thing that was so great with UMSL,” Cailyn said. “They let me leave in the middle of the summer program to go to Africa on a medical mission with my mom, dad, sister and brother.” 

Today, the Katsevs’ UMSL education has translated into careers that touch thousands of lives. Doug and Cailyn are the founders of Santa Barbara Eyecare, which celebrated its fifth anniversary in August 2025. 

“There’s a professional aspect of opening my practice with my dad that has just been such a great moment,” Cailyn said. “I have been working with scleral lenses, and my dad specializes in the cornea. My dad will do his surgery, I’ll fit the patient in a contact lens, and then they’re seeing so much better. It’s wonderful to come together with my dad in making that happen.”  

Kiki is part of a successful optometry group in El Segundo, where she helps cover patients at the family practice as needed while also handling their social media. Meanwhile, Blake is in his fourth year of medical school and preparing for a career in ophthalmology. 

In reflecting on their professions, the Katsevs agree that the greatest reward is helping others see.  

“Giving glasses to kids is so rewarding,” Kiki said. “Also, fixing a corneal ulcer by yourself – those are the moments where I feel like, ‘Wow, I am making a difference.’” 

They credit UMSL with providing the foundation for their success and keeping students on the cutting edge through advanced technology and strong clinical training.  

“I feel like UMSL’s clinic space is more high-tech than my own office in El Segundo,” said Kiki, who also noted that UMSL continues to encourage its students to complete residencies. “I did a residency that made me really confident moving into the profession. I was well-suited to get out into the world.”  

“Our girls are so adaptable,” Nina said. “They can do so many things. They are so educated and so experienced.” 

Cailyn summed it up: “UMSL just kind of fell into our lap for all of us, and it has been so darn good.”