Meet Our Staff

Dr. Gillespie is a board certified comprehensive ophthalmologist, anterior segment and refractive eye surgeon.  He joined the Ophthalmology Group alongside Drs. Johnson, Borodofsky and Myers in 1985.  From the beginning, he has believed that each patient gets 100% of his attention in trying to achieve their vision goals.

Procedures

Dr. Gillespie and his partners pride themselves in using the most up-to-date technology to perform procedures usually found in major metropolitan areas and academic centers.  These include:

• Laser assisted cataract surgery with several types of multifocal lens implants designed to give the best chance of independence from glasses
• Dropless cataract surgery
• LASIK laser surgery for the correction of nearsightedness, farsightedness and astigmatism
• DSEK – An advanced corneal transplantation procedure
• Blepharoplasty and other eyelid plastic surgery procedures
• Glaucoma laser procedures
• Advanced glaucoma surgery including the new, minimally invasion glaucoma procedures such as Istents, trabectome and canaloplasty that are performed by only a minority of eye surgeons

Education

Dr. Gillespie graduated summa cum laude from Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee.  He also attended Vanderbilt Medical School and did a medical internship at Evanston Hospital near Chicago.  His ophthalmology residency training was at the University of Virginia from 1982-1985.  He was subsequently recognized and certified by the American Board of Ophthalmology. He is currently a member of several specialty societies including the:

American Academy of Ophthalmology

American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons

Refractive Surgery Alliance

Credential and Awards

Dr. Gillespie has been practicing as a part of the Ophthalmology Group since 1985.  He has served as medical director for the Eye Surgery Center of Paducah since its opening in 1992.

Dr. Gillespie currently writes a monthly newspaper column for the Senior Scene magazine.

Dr. Gillespie is a three-time winner of the Paducah Sun’s Favorite Ophthalmologist Award!

Dr. Meeks is a Paducah native who has returned to his hometown to practice comprehensive ophthalmology. He graduated Magna Cum Laude from University of Louisville School of Medicine where he was elected to Alpha Omega Alpha Medical Honor Society. He completed his residency in Ophthalmology at The University of Texas-Southwestern in Dallas, TX. Dr. Meeks is board-certified by the American Board of Ophthalmology. He is a member of the American Academy of Ophthalmology and the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery.

Dr. Carl W. Baker is a graduate of the University of Kentucky and received his Doctor of Medicine degree from the University of Kentucky College of Medicine. He completed an internship in 1994 at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) and served as Chief Resident in Ophthalmology at MUSC. He received a Vitreoretinal Surgery Fellowship and served as an Assistant Professor in Ophthalmology at the University of Kentucky in 2000. He was the recipient of the William W. Vallotton Award for Academic Excellence in Residency.

Dr. Baker is engaged in clinical research for Macular Degeneration, Diabetic Retinopathy, Cataracts, and Retinal Vein Occlusions. For the past 15 years, he has been involved with several projects that have led to the developments of several new medications and devices for the treatment of eye diseases.

Dr. Baker is actively involved as a leader in ophthalmology at the national and state level. He is the current president of the Kentucky Academy of Eye Physicians and Surgeons. Dr. Baker is a member of the American Society of Retinal Specialists, and the American Academy of Ophthalmology. Dr. Baker served as a vice-chair of the Diabetic Retinopathy Clinical Research Network from 2011-2014 and is currently a member of the executive committee of the DRCR Network.

Dr. Baker and his wife, Jil, have three children. He is a private pilot and loves to fly. He also enjoys tennis and golf.

Dr. James D. Kim is a fellowship trained retina specialist. He graduated high school in Sydney, Australia where he achieved a perfect score in HSC (an Australian University entrance exam) and received Premier’s medal as top student in Australia. Then Dr. Kim came to the United States and graduated from University of Maryland with Bachelor of Science degree in Biochemistry. Prior to attending medical school, Dr. Kim received Master of Science degree in Biotechnology from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland. In addition, Dr. Kim received second degree in Master of Science in Physiology and Biophysics from Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. He stayed at Georgetown University and received Doctor of Medicine degree.

Dr. Kim completed ophthalmology residency at University of Texas Medical Branch where he served as chief resident. He was awarded numerous accolades including Silver Scalpel Award for recognition of his superior surgical skills, Best Research Awards for outstanding achievement in furthering ophthalmology research, nomination as university wide exemplary resident, and Resident Citizenship Award. After ophthalmology residency, Dr. Kim was selected as vitreoretinal surgery fellow at the Eye Institute in Medical College of Wisconsin, one of premier retina fellowships in the country.

Dr. Kim has extensive medical and surgical training in diseases of retina including age-related macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, macular holes, complex retinal detachments and diabetic tractional retinal detachments.

Dr. Kim has been involved in research for many years including National Institute of Health and Johns Hopkins Medical Institute. He has numerous research publications in top medical journals and book chapters. He has presented his works at national and international meetings. He is a member of American Academy of Ophthalmology, American Medical Association, and American College of Physicians.

Dr. Kim is happily married to Dr. Suejean Park, associate professor of violin at Murray State University and Concertmaster of Paducah Symphony Orchestra. They have two daughters. Dr. Kim enjoys mountain biking, snowboarding, fishing, and traveling. He is fluent in Spanish and Korean.

Dr. Taylor received a Bachelor of Science degree from Southeast Missouri State University in Cape Girardeau, Missouri in 1995, and received his Doctor of Medicine from the University of Iowa in Iowa City, Iowa in 2001. Dr. Taylor’s research experience in 2000 includes ‘Effects of Glaucoma Drainage Tube Implant on Corneal Grafts’. In 2002, he completed his internship in the department of general surgery at the University of Kentucky in Lexington, Kentucky. Dr. Taylor completed his Ophthalmology residency at the University of Kentucky in 2005. Dr. Taylor joined the Ophthalmology Group in 2005 practicing general ophthalmology. Surgical experience includes cataract surgery, glaucoma surgery, and ophthalmic plastic surgery.

Dr. Taylor and his wife, Heather, are the parents of Callie, Karsten, and Hayden. He is a native of Mt. Vernon, Illinois. Dr. Taylor enjoys water skiing.

Dr. Bodnarchuk grew up in Paducah, KY and graduated valedictorian from Community Christian Academy in 2005. He received a bachelor of science degree in biology from Union University in Jackson, TN where he graduated summa cum laude. He went on to medical school at the University of Kentucky College of Medicine and received his medical degree with high distinction in 2013. After medical school Dr. Bodnarchuk completed a transitional year internship at Indiana University Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis, IN. He then completed his ophthalmology residency at Louisiana State University Health Science Center in New Orleans, LA from 2014-2017.

Dr. Bodnarchuk returned to his hometown of Paducah and joined The Ophthalmology Group in 2017. He provides comprehensive medical and surgical eye care including diabetic retinopathy screening, glaucoma diagnosis and management, eyelid surgery, cataract surgery with premium intraocular lenses, and laser assisted surgery.

Dr. Bodnarchuk is an avid bow hunter and Kentucky basketball fan. He enjoys the outdoors, traveling, and spending time with friends and family.