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Gussie B. Branch, O.D.

Dr. Gussie Branch is a native of Clay County, Alabama where she enjoyed growing up near scenic Cheaha Mountain. She graduated Valedictorian from First Assembly Christian School before attending Judson College. At Judson, she was actively involved in SGA, serving as Vice President while also serving as President of the Science Club her senior year. She graduated cum laude with a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry and a minor in Biology in 2012.

 

Dr. Branch then went on to attend the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Optometry and received her Doctorate of Optometry in 2016.  While in optometry school, Dr. Branch served as Vice President of the UABSO Private Practice Club as well as a UAB representative at the Student Optometric Leadership Network National Convention in 2014 & 2015.  Dr. Branch also was awarded the title “Student Fellow” of the American Academy of Optometry in Denver in 2014.  As an optometry student she enjoyed optometric volunteer work through Cahaba Valley Healthcare, Equal Access Birmingham, and Volunteer Service to Humanity, participating in clinics around Birmingham, central Tennessee, and also traveling internationally to Nicaragua. 

 

At UAB School of Optometry Dr. Branch completed internships in primary care, ocular disease, contact lens, pediatrics, vision therapy, developmental vision, pediatric neurology, geriatrics, and community eye care.  Additional clinical training includes internships in ocular disease and primary eye care at the Tuscaloosa VA Medical Center and family practice optometry in Oneonta.

 

Dr. Branch currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Alabama Optometric Association as well as the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Optometry Alumni Association, and is a member of the Albertville Rotary Club. She has coordinated several volunteer mission trips to provide eyecare to impoverished areas from 2018 to the present. Dr. Branch and her husband were also licensed foster parents from 2018-2020 providing care to many children during that time. Dr. Branch was named "Young Optometrist of the Year" for the state of Alabama in 2021. In 2022 she completed the Marshall County Leadership Challenge. Dr. Branch lives in Albertville with her husband, Caleb, and children Eliza and Joseph Wiley. 

Katherine Greer Kennedy, O.D.

Dr. Katherine Greer Kennedy was born and raised in Bardstown, Kentucky, a small town situated in the center of the bluegrass state. There, she graduated with honors from Nelson County High School. Earning an academic scholarship, Dr. Kennedy then attended Georgetown College in Georgetown, Kentucky, where she was very involved in campus activities, most notably receiving a research grant through the Howard Hughes Medical Institute through the college’s Program for Advanced Learning in the Sciences. Dr. Kennedy graduated from Georgetown College Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Science in Biology and a minor in Chemistry.

 

She then became one of three Kentucky-resident students offered acceptance to the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Optometry with an in-state position. She graduated from UABSO with her Doctorate of Optometry in 2017. As a student there, Dr. Kennedy enjoyed performing volunteer optometric work through numerous programs across rural Alabama, Tennessee and even Nicaragua. She also volunteered her services at numerous nursing homes and rehabilitation centers in the Birmingham area. During the four-year optometric education program, Dr. Kennedy gained experience in several areas such as specialty contact lenses, vision therapy, ocular disease, developmental vision, pediatrics and geriatrics. Dr. Kennedy completed additional training through her internships in ocular disease at the Birmingham VA Medical Center and in family eye care at a private practice in Bardstown, KY.


Dr. Kennedy resides in Guntersville with her husband Austin and their daughter, Adeline. They enjoy spending time with family and being on the lake. 

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Merin Graves, O.D., FAAO

Dr. Merin Graves was born in Miami and raised in Bradenton, Florida. She graduated from Manatee High School prior to moving to Nashville, Tennessee to attend Belmont University. She graduated from the Belmont Honors program in 2000 with a degree in pre-law and geriatric studies with a minor in music business and a master’s thesis on advance directive usage. After several years working in healthcare administration and after welcoming her first son with her husband Chris, she decided to return to school to pursue optometry at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. 

 

Dr. Graves received her doctorate of optometry in 2011 and was a member of Beta Sigma Kappa International Optometric Honor Society and enjoyed volunteering with Cahaba Valley Health Care. She completed internships in primary care, ocular disease, pediatrics and contact lens as well as external rotations with the Birmingham VA Medical Center, Vision America tertiary referral center, and private practice in Franklin, Tennessee. 

 

Dr. Graves completed a residency in Ocular Disease in 2012 through the University of Houston College of Optometry at the Bridge Builders Eye Clinic in Dallas, Texas with emphasis in the areas of glaucoma and diabetic eye disease. While in residency, Dr. Graves was a participant in Optometric Glaucoma Society meetings and lectured on the subject of diabetes while serving as an attending to optometry student externs.

 

After residency, Dr. Graves returned to Homewood, Alabama, entered private practice in Bessemer, and welcomed her second son. Dr. Graves was an active participant in the Birmingham Area Optometric Society, the Alabama Optometric Association, the American Optometric Association and earned her fellowship in the American Academy of Optometry in 2013. While in private practice, Dr. Graves enjoyed presenting on the subject of “Eye Vitals” to first year medicine residents at St. Vincent’s East. 

 

Most recently, Dr. Graves served as a staff optometrist at the Birmingham Veterans Affairs Medical Center and Bessemer Community-Based Outpatient Clinic where she adored serving the veterans since 2020.

 

Dr. Graves is married to Coach Chris Graves, who spent 15 years as the head coach for men’s basketball at Birmingham Southern College. The closure of the college brought Coach Graves to Albertville High School as the new boys basketball coach. The Graves family moved to Guntersville in the summer of 2024 and Dr. Graves is thrilled to join the team at Eyes on Albertville & Eyes on Guntersville. The Graves have two sons & a daughter, Bryce, Bo and Avery, and are very excited to be a part of such a wonderful community. 

Lauren Boudousquie, O.D.

Dr. Lauren Boudousquie was born and raised in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma. She is a proud member of the Shawnee tribe, and an adopted tribal member of the Cherokee Nation. Dr. Boudousquie received an academic scholarship to attend the University of Central Oklahoma, where she graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology and a minor in History in 2014. During her undergraduate years, she volunteered at a local food bank and was involved on campus helping students register to vote.

 

Dr. Boudousquie moved to Birmingham to attend UAB School of Optometry where she received her Doctorate of Optometry in 2018. While in optometry school she was very involved with the National Optometric Student Association, serving as class representative all four years of optometry school. She participated in many community outreach activities including Rural Access Medicine, health fairs, headstart screenings, and work in nursing homes. She received training in pediatrics, specialty contact lenses, ocular disease, vision therapy, and geriatrics. She met her husband, Daniel, while in optometry school and married an Alabama native.

 

Dr. Boudousquie completed her residency training in Low Vision and Geriatric Optometry at the Birmingham VA Medical Center in 2019. She worked closely with the VA Southern Blind Rehab Center to help veterans with vision impairment to gain the skills and confidence to live independently.

 

Dr. Boudousquie worked at the Cherokee Indian Hospital in Cherokee, North Carolina from 2019-2023. She was promoted to Chief of Optometry for the last 2 years of her time at the Cherokee Indian Hospital. Dr. Boudousquie also worked as an adjunct professor at Southwestern Community College teaching opticianry.

 

Dr. Boudousquie was able to move back to Alabama in 2023. She was a staff optometrist at the Huntsville VA Eye Clinic for almost 2 years, proudly serving veterans. Dr. Boudousquie lives in Guntersville with her husband Daniel, and their son Theo. She is very happy to join the team at Eyes on Albertville and Guntersville. She is looking forward to working with and forming strong bonds in her local community.

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Randall W. Hoerth, O.D.

 

Dr. Hoerth has been practicing on Sand Mountain since 1981 in a profession he chose as an elementary school  student.

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He has received both a bachelor's  degree (Psychology) and his Dr. of Optometry degree from Pacific University.  He's taken hundreds of hours of continuing education from the UAB college of Optometry. He's served on several board of director positions and served as president of the Albertville Civitan Club. He is currently serving on the board of directors for the Albertville Free Vision Clinic and Vision America.  He's very active in his church and is also a retired Army officer.

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He loves sports of all kinds and participates in a few of his favorites. He and his wife, Tricia, have a married daughter and triplet grandchildren who live in Huntsville. They  spend as much time with their extended family as is possible. 

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Guntersville, AL 35976

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