The Sue Anschutz-Rodgers Eye Center offers a broad range of sub-specialty fellowship programs, allowing for active involvement in patient care, surgical training, and research experiences across our five affiliated locations.
As one of the largest eye centers in the country, and the only academic eye center in the Rocky Mountain region, the University of Colorado is an attractive choice because of our leading faculty, diverse pathology, high surgical volume, and cutting-edge research programs.
All fellowship programs are funded by the CU Department of Ophthalmology and include a competitive salary with health care benefits. An academic appointment is provided at the "Instructor/Fellow" level in the CU School of Medicine. An educational allowance is provided for books and travel to present at scientific conferences related to each fellow’s specialty.
Learn more about each fellowship track below.
This 12-month fellowship is based at the University of Colorado Hospital (UCH) with activities at the Veterans Administration Medical Center (VAMC), Denver Health Medical Center (DHMC), Children's Hospital Colorado (CHC) and outlying private clinics. The fellow will rotate through the corneal service of each of the major affiliated hospitals. Primary supervision of the corneal fellow is by Dr. Michael Taravella and Dr. Richard Davidson; other attending physicians from other ophthalmology specialties may be involved. Dr. Taravella and Dr. Davidson are members of the full-time faculty at the University of Colorado School of Medicine.
The primary purpose of the fellowship is to gain educational experience in the area of corneal transplantation and laser vision correction. The goals of training is to develop the appropriate clinical judgment in patient selection for corneal transplantation and refractive surgery as well as obtaining the surgical skills to perform these procedures effectively. An additional goal will be to obtain expertise in the area of cornea and external disease and management of common disorders relating to this specialty. Therefore, there is a cognitive as well as a technical skill level of expertise to be attained during this year of training.
The corneal fellow will rotate to UCH, DHMC, Children’s Hospital of Colorado, the U.S. Air Force base, and the VAMC. The corneal fellow will be expected to perform the majority of transplants at the VAMC and DHMC. In addition, he/she will be expected to perform primary surgery and assist Drs. Taravella and Davidson in performing corneal transplantation at UCH. The fellow will be expected to staff corneal clinics for each of these hospitals and supervise residents both in clinical care and cataract surgery. It is anticipated that the fellow will perform between 80 to 90 corneal transplants during the year of which 40 to 50 will be PKP and 40 to 50 will be partial thickness DMEK/DSAEK/DALK and will be exposed to a full range of corneal pathology during the training. The fellow will perform all corneal transplants under direct faculty supervision. During rotations at the above hospitals, the fellow will have the opportunity to recruit and perform laser vision correction under the direct supervision of Dr. Taravella as well as perform refractive surgery at the U.S. Air Force base. The number of procedures that the fellow will perform is anticipated to be over 200 including LASIK/PRK/SMILE and ICL surgery. The fellow will be responsible for all pre- and post-operative care of his/her refractive patients with Drs. Taravella, Davidson, or other appropriate faculty available for consultation and supervision. It is anticipated that the fellow's abilities will progress and improve with experience. The fellow will complete approximately 250 to 300 cataract surgeries including femtosecond assisted cataract surgery. Overall, the fellow will have the opportunity to certify in LASIK, PRK, SMILE, ICL, and femtosecond cataract surgery.
Core skills that the fellow is anticipated to learn include:
The cornea fellow will attend all educational conferences offered by the Department of Ophthalmology including, but not limited to: Grand Rounds, Case Conferences, Department sponsored symposia, and Basic and Clinical Science Course lectures. It is anticipated that the cornea fellow will teach portions of the cornea/external disease Basic Science Course. The fellow will attend all journal clubs featuring cornea, external disease or refractive surgery articles.
Educational Goals
The program will include teaching in at least the following subject areas:
It is anticipated that the cornea fellow will complete a project of publishable quality relating to either clinical or basic aspects of cornea, external disease or refractive surgery during the 12-month training period. Presentation at the annual resident, fellow and alumni research day is required.
The overall responsibility for evaluating the fellow will reside with Doctors Davidson and Taravella although all faculty members will have the opportunity to comment on the fellow's performance during his/her one-year training period. Cognitive and procedural competence will be assessed in an ongoing fashion by all faculty members involved in he fellows training. Both written and verbal feedback will be provided on a quarterly basis.
To be considered for our fellowship programs, applicants must be able to be fully licensed in the state of Colorado by the start of the fellowship. The website from the Colorado Medical Board has detailed information about licensing requirements for the state of Colorado. Successful completion of all three steps of the USMLE by the application deadline is required. If accepted, candidates must also pass a criminal background investigation (criteria specified in University background investigation policies).
The specific requirements for international medical graduates include, but are not limited to, graduation from a medical school approved by the Colorado Medical Board, 36 months of clinically-based postgraduate training in the United States or Canada, and one of the following: FLEX Exam (must also have passed the ECFMG exam), state written exam, or USMLE.
The CU School of Medicine recognizes that fellows enrolled in its programs are trainees, not employees. As such, all applicants also must be able to meet conditions of the institutional training agreement. Specifically, fellows in our program must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident, refugee, asylee, or possess the appropriate documentation to allow the resident to legally train at the University of Colorado Denver School of Medicine.
If, after reviewing these websites and requirements, you feel you qualify for our fellowship, please submit an application through the San Francisco Matching Program. We ask that you also submit a copy of your USMLE score report and a brief CV via email to Laurie McCloskey by the application deadline.
Please visit our program at www.sfmatch.org for information about our application deadlines and interview dates.
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For more information, please contact the Laurie McCloskey​
The principal goal of the fellowship is to prepare trainees to become outstanding glaucoma specialists and anterior segment surgeons in either an academic or community setting. Graduates will gain the ability to not only assess and diagnose the various glaucomatous diseases, but to develop appropriate and effective medical and surgical treatment plans as well.
The fellowship is designed to be primarily clinical with a strong emphasis on surgical training, both in traditional glaucoma surgery as well as several new micro-invasive glaucoma surgery (MIGS) techniques and devices. The fellow will also perform a large number of routine and complex cataract surgeries, with use of monofocal, toric and multifocal intraocular lenses as well as femtosecond laser assisted cataract surgery (FLACS). As primary surgeon, fellows can expect to perform between 150-300 cataract procedures, over 80-120 glaucoma filtering surgeries (trabeculectomy/EX-PRESS/tube shunts), and 100-150 MIGS procedures. In addition, fellows will perform numerous clinic-based procedures and various glaucoma laser treatments. Most importantly, trainees will receive extensive training in the preoperative decision making and planning process as well as the post-operative management in routine and complicated surgical cases.
The glaucoma fellow will participate in tertiary care clinics with all glaucoma faculty at the CU Anschutz-Rodgers Eye Center Eye Center. In addition, the fellow will be responsible for staffing his/her own glaucoma clinics on a weekly basis at the Eye Center. In the clinic, the fellow will routinely use one of several diagnostic imaging technologies available and become fluent in the indications for use and interpretation of each modality. A list of currently available entities includes:
A large number of laser procedures will be routinely performed including:
The fellow will be active in the surgical care of patients and will act as primary surgeon on numerous traditional and novel surgical procedures including:
The bulk of pediatric glaucoma patients will be seen on Dr. Seibold and Ertel’s service with surgeries performed at Children’s Hospital Colorado. Due to frequent ocular comorbities, these complex pediatric cases will often be treated in concert with the pediatric, cornea, and retina services to provide the most appropriate and comprehensive treatment plan. Pediatric glaucoma patients may also be seen as necessary at the CHC eye clinic.
Call: At-home general ophthalmology call will be split between department faculty and fellows. The glaucoma fellow can expect to take approximately 4-6 weeks of call per academic year, serving as the attending for residents on call.
The glaucoma fellow will attend all educational conferences offered by the Department of Ophthalmology including but not limited to:
The glaucoma fellow is expected to complete one or more research projects during their training. They will also participate in ongoing clinical trials involving medical therapies, surgical interventions, glaucoma imaging, and others. The fellow is encouraged to present their research at academic meetings such as the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO), Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO), and American Glaucoma Society (AGS), as well as other subspecialty glaucoma meetings. Presentation at the University of Colorado Annual Resident, Fellow, and Alumni Research Day in July is required. It is anticipated that the fellow will publish one or more papers during his/her fellowship.
The overall responsibility for evaluating the fellow will reside with the full-time glaucoma faculty. All faculty members involved in the fellows' training will assess cognitive and procedural competence in an ongoing fashion. Both written and verbal feedback will be provided on a quarterly basis. The fellow will maintain a surgical log, as well as a log of research activity and conferences/lectures given or attended.
To be considered for our fellowship programs, applicants must be able to be fully licensed in the state of Colorado by the start of the fellowship. The website from the Colorado Medical Board has detailed information about licensing requirements for the state of Colorado. Successful completion of all three steps of the USMLE by the application deadline is required. If accepted, candidates must also pass a criminal background investigation (criteria specified in University background investigation policies).
The specific requirements for international medical graduates include, but are not limited to, graduation from a medical school approved by the Colorado Medical Board, 36 months of clinically-based postgraduate training in the United States or Canada, and one of the following: FLEX Exam (must also have passed the ECFMG exam), state written exam, or USMLE.
The CU School of Medicine recognizes that fellows enrolled in its programs are trainees, not employees. As such, all applicants also must be able to meet conditions of the institutional training agreement. Specifically, fellows in our program must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident, refugee, asylee, or possess the appropriate documentation to allow the resident to legally train at the University of Colorado School of Medicine.
If, after reviewing these websites and requirements, you feel you qualify for our fellowship, please submit an application through the San Francisco Matching Program. We ask that you also submit the following supplemental materials via email to Laurie McCloskey by the application deadline: Complete CV and a copy of your USMLE scores.
Please visit our program at www.sfmatch.org for information about our application deadlines and interview dates.
The fellowship is jointly offered by the Department of Neurology and Department of Ophthalmology. Core program faculty include: Prem Subramanian, MD, PhD (Ophthalmology Chief); Victoria Pelak, MD (fellowship director); Jeffrey Bennett, MD, PhD; and Mary Labowsky, MD. Fellows in the neuro-ophthalmology fellowship will be appointed as clinical instructors in neurology and ophthalmology. Clinical activity takes place in the UCHealth Sue Anschutz-Rodgers Eye Center on the Anschutz Medical Campus, which is headquartered in the 135,000-square-foot Rocky Mountain Lions Eye Institute building. A graduate of the neuro-ophthalmology fellowship program will be exceptionally well-prepared to diagnose and manage all aspects of neuro-ophthalmic conditions. The presence of ophthalmology-trained and neurology-trained core faculty allows fellows the opportunity to pursue their specific interests.
Applications for the Neuro-Ophthalmology program are received through the San Francisco Match beginning in July 1, 2023 for the 2024-2025 fellowship year.
2022-2023 – Fellowship position filled
2023-2024 – Fellowship position filled
2024-2025 – Fellowship position open – through the San Francisco Match (more details to follow)
Please visit our program at www.sfmatch.org for information about our application deadlines and interview dates.
For questions or application information, please contact Neurology-Fellowships2@cuanschutz.edu.
Fellowship Coordinator Department of Neurology, University of Colorado School of Medicine, 12700 E. 19th Avenue, Mail Stop B182 Aurora, CO 80045 Office: (303) 724-9020 Fax: (303) 724-4764​​​.
Program Director: Victoria Pelak, M.D.
This 24-month American Society of Ophthalmic Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery (ASOPRS) fellowship is based at the University of Colorado Hospital (UCH) with activities at The Veterans Administration Medical Center (VAMC), Denver Health Medical Center (DHMC), Children's Hospital Colorado (CHC) and outlying preceptor practices.
Primary preceptor is Eric Hink, MD; Associate preceptors are Sophie Liao, MD; Robert Fante, MD; Michael Hawes, MD, FACS; Michael McCracken, MD; Daniel Ozello, MD; and Brian Willoughby, MD.
The objectives and goals of the ASOPRS fellowship at the University of Colorado School of Medicine are to train a professional, ethical, and outstanding academic oculoplastic and orbital surgeon. During the course of the fellowship, the fellow is expected to gain comprehensive experience in both medical and surgical aspects of functional and cosmetic oculofacial plastic surgery. Additionally, training will include ample opportunity for research and education. The ASOPRS fellowship will also provide the fellow the opportunity to participate in patient care in the fields of otolaryngology, general plastic and reconstructive surgery, neuro-ophthalmology, MOHS dermatologic surgery, cosmetic dermatology, neurosurgery, head and neck surgery, and ophthalmic pathology.
Core skills that the fellow is anticipated to learn include:
The ASOPRS fellow will attend all educational conferences offered by the Department of Ophthalmology including but not limited to: grand rounds, case conferences, department sponsored symposia, journal club, mock oral boards, and basic and clinical science course lectures. It is anticipated that the fellow will teach portions of the oculofacial plastic surgery basic and clinical science course. The fellow will attend all journal clubs featuring oculofacial plastic and orbital surgery articles. The fellow will be required to prepare and present teaching conferences and participate in the teaching of residents and medical students.
Educational Goals:
The fellow will receive experience in the following procedures:
It is anticipated that the ASOPRS fellow will complete a project of publishable quality relating to either clinical or basic science aspects of oculofacial plastic and orbital surgery during the 24-month training period. Presentation at the annual resident, Fellow and alumni research day is required.
The overall responsibility for evaluating the fellow will reside with Dr. Eric Hink, although all faculty members will have the opportunity to comment on the fellow's performance during his/her two-year training period. Cognitive and procedural competence will be assessed in an ongoing fashion by all faculty members involved in the fellow’s training. Feedback will be provided on a regular basis. The fellow will maintain a surgical log, as well as a log of research activity and conferences/lectures given or attended.
The specific requirements for international medical graduates include, but are not limited to, graduation from a medical school approved by the Colorado Medical Board, 36 months of clinically-based postgraduate training in the United States or Canada, and one of the following: FLEX Exam (must also have passed the ECFMG exam), state written exam, or USMLE.
The CU School of Medicine recognizes that fellows enrolled in its programs are trainees, not employees. As such, all applicants also must be able to meet conditions of the institutional training agreement. Specifically, fellows in our program must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident, refugee, asylee, or possess the appropriate documentation to allow the fellow to legally train at the University of Colorado School of Medicine.
If, after reviewing these websites and requirements, you feel you qualify for our fellowship, please submit an application through the San Francisco Matching Program. We ask that you also submit the following supplemental materials via email to Laurie McCloskey by the application deadline: Complete CV, and a copy of your USMLE scores.
Please visit our program at www.sfmatch.org for information about our application deadlines and interview dates.
For more information, please contact Laurie McCloskey.
The University of Colorado Pediatric Ophthalmology and Adult Strabismus Fellowship is a 12-month program designed to provide advanced training in the diagnosis and management of medical and surgical ophthalmic conditions of children and adults with strabismus.
This fellowship is available to graduates of an ACGME accredited ophthalmology residency program who are eligible for licensure to practice medicine in the state of Colorado by the start of fellowship in July of each academic year.
The fellowship is primarily based at Children’s Hospital Colorado. Additional clinical and surgical experience is also provided at the University of Colorado Hospital, Denver Health Medical Center, and two Children’s Hospital Colorado satellite campuses. Weekly ROP rounds are performed at the main campus of Children’s Hospital Colorado and the University of Colorado Hospital NICU. Some exposure to tele-ROP is also provided during fellowship. Primary supervision of the pediatric fellow is by our Fellowship Director, Emily McCourt, MD; Assistant Fellowship Director, Lauren Mehner, MD; Robert Enzenauer, MD; Rebecca Braverman, MD; Jennifer Jung, MD; Mariam Ahmad, MD; Michael Puente, MD; Casey Smith, MD; and Mary Labowsky, MD.
The Pediatric Ophthalmology and Adult Strabismus Fellowship provides trainees with the knowledge and surgical skill to care for patients with both common and rare disorders within the realm of the specialty. In addition to exposure in pediatric and adult strabismus, fellows gain experience in complex anterior segment, glaucoma, uveitis, oculoplastics, retinoblastoma, retinal dystrophies, ROP, and pediatric eye trauma. The fellow also has exposure to complex and often rare diseases on the inpatient consult service at Children’s Hospital Colorado. The fellow has a weekly fellow’s clinic, where you will cultivate your decision-making skills with access to one of the staff physicians.
Various subspecialty clinics take place at the hospital and are available to the fellow, including:
Contact Lens Clinic: Pediatric Optometry
Pediatric Cornea: Drs. Ronald Wise and Emily McCourt
Pediatric Glaucoma: Drs. Monica Ertel and Michael Puente
Pediatric Oculoplastics: Dr. Eric Hink
Pediatric Uveitis and Rheumatology/Uveitis: Dr. Jennifer Jung and Dr. Clara Lin
Retinal Dystrophy Clinic: Dr. Marc Mathias and genetic counselors
The fellow has full access to multiple educational opportunities provided by the Department of Ophthalmology at the University of Colorado School of Medicine including morning reports, grand rounds, and journal clubs. Topics specifically relevant to the fellowship will be provided by the above-named faculty through informal teaching sessions, journal clubs, and small group didactic lessons. We have several monthly conferences within the department, including: complex strabismus, orbital imaging, and genetics, all of which are an integral part of fellow education. The fellow will have access to medical journals through the University of Colorado Denison Library, and research support through the University of Colorado.
The Pediatric Fellow is an integral member of the Pediatric Ophthalmology and Adult Strabismus Division. They work closely with the faculty and residents to provide care for patients in the outpatient clinical setting, inpatient wards, emergency department, and our busy surgical service. The fellow will provide after-hours on-call coverage on a rotating basis with the rest of the Department of Ophthalmology fellows and faculty (approximately 3-4 weeks a year). The fellow is active in the surgical care of patients and will act as primary surgeon on procedures such as:
The Pediatric Fellow is expected to complete one or more research projects during their training. The fellow is encouraged to present their research at academic meetings such as the American Association of Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus (AAPOS), the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO), and Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO). Presentation at the University of Colorado Annual Resident, Fellow, and Alumni Research Day is required.
The Pediatric Fellow will attend all educational conferences offered by the Department of Ophthalmology including but not limited to:
The fellow is required to present at teaching conferences, participate in the teaching of residents and medical students, and to teach portions of the Pediatric Basic Science Course.
The overall responsibility for evaluating the fellow resides with the faculty. All faculty members involved in the fellow’s training assess cognitive and procedural competence in an ongoing fashion. Both written and verbal feedback are provided on a quarterly basis. The fellow maintains a surgical log, as well as a log of research activity and conferences/lectures given or attended.
The specific requirements for international medical graduates include, but are not limited to, graduation from a medical school approved by the Colorado Medical Board, 36 months of clinically-based postgraduate training in the United States or Canada, and one of the following: FLEX EXAM (must also have passed the ECFMG exam), state written exam, or USMLE.
The CU School of Medicine recognizes that fellows enrolled in its programs are trainees, not employees. As such, all applicants also must be able to meet the conditions of the institutional training agreement. Specifically, fellows in our program must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident, refugee, asylee, or possess the appropriate documentation to allow the resident to legally train at the University of Colorado Denver School of Medicine. There is no non-compete or restrictive covenant limiting your geographic options after fellowship.
If, after reviewing these websites and requirements, you feel you qualify for our fellowship, please submit an application through the San Francisco Matching Program. We ask that you also submit the following supplemental materials via email to Laurie McCloskey by the application deadline: Complete CV and copy of USMLE scores.
Please visit our program at www.sfmatch.org for information about our application deadlines and interview dates.
For more information, please contact Laurie McCloskey.
Program Director: Emily McCourt, MD.
The University of Colorado Uveitis Fellowship is a 12-month, AUPO compliant program designed to provide advanced training in the diagnosis and management of uveitis and ocular inflammation. This fellowship is available to graduates of an ACGME-accredited ophthalmology residency program who are eligible for licensure to practice medicine in the state of Colorado by the start of fellowship in July of each academic year.
Fellows in this program will learn to diagnose all types of inflammatory eye conditions, including infectious and non-infectious uveitis (anterior, intermediate, posterior, and panuveitis), scleritis, keratitis, and ocular pemphigoid. This will involve becoming proficient in a variety of ocular imaging modalities – particularly OCT, OCT-angiography, fluorescein angiography, indocyanine green angiography, and ultrasonography. Fellows will become comfortable in prescribing and managing systemic immunomodulatory therapies and the use of local corticosteroid injections. Based on the fellows’ interests, opportunities will be made available to participate in uveitic cataract surgeries and/or surgical glaucoma management.
The fellow will have dedicated time available for research and there will be regular didactic time with attendings.
The fellowship is based at the University of Colorado Eye Center at the Anschutz Medical Campus. Here, the fellow will participate in uveitis clinics with attendings and also the joint rheumatology-uveitis clinic. The fellow will also rotate in the pediatric rheumatology-uveitis clinic at Children’s Hospital Colorado and uveitis clinic at Denver Health Medical Center.
All institutions offer excellent clinical and surgical facilities during the fellowship. The fellow will have full access to all the facilities of the UCHealth Eye Center. This will include access to the Denison Library Web Site, access to major medical journals online, as well as access to a library of ophthalmic reference materials ranging from textbooks to atlases.
The fellow will attend all educational conferences offered by the Department of Ophthalmology including, but not limited to: grand rounds, case conferences, department sponsored symposia, yearly uveitis journal club with the residents, and basic and clinical science course lectures.
It is anticipated that the uveitis fellow will complete a project of publishable quality during the 12-month training period. Presentation at the annual resident, fellow and alumni research day is required.
At-home general ophthalmology call is split between department faculty and fellows. The glaucoma fellow can expect to take approximately 5 weeks of call per academic year, serving as the attending for residents on call.
The overall responsibility for evaluating the fellow will reside with Drs. Reddy and Palsetine, although all faculty members will have the opportunity to comment on the fellow's performance during his/her one-year training period. Both written and verbal feedback will be formally provided on a quarterly basis.
The specific requirements for international medical graduates include, but are not limited to, graduation from a medical school approved by the Colorado Medical Board, 36 months of clinically-based postgraduate training in the United States or Canada, and one of the following: FLEX Exam (must also have passed the ECFMG exam), state written exam, or USMLE.
The CU School of Medicine recognizes that fellows enrolled in its programs are trainees, not employees. As such, all applicants also must be able to meet conditions of the institutional training agreement. Specifically, fellows in our program must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident, refugee, asylee, or possess the appropriate documentation to allow the resident to legally train at the University of Colorado Denver School of Medicine.
If, after reviewing these websites and requirements, you feel you qualify for our fellowship, please submit an application through the San Francisco Matching Program. We ask that you also submit a copy of your USMLE score report and a brief CV via email to Laurie McCloskey by the application deadline.
Please visit our program at www.sfmatch.org for information about our application deadlines and interview dates.
This two-year fellowship is designed for advanced training in vitreoretinal diseases and surgery following an ophthalmology residency. The training focuses on both medical and surgical retinal diseases in adults and children. This is a fellowship available
to graduates of ophthalmology residency programs and is available only to applicants with licensure to practice in the state of Colorado by the start of fellowship.
The fellowship is organized as a comprehensive training period in both medical and surgical retinal disease. Standard best vitreoretinal fellowship programs require two years of rigorous vitreoretinal training in order to meet the high standards set by the academic vitreoretinal community. This two-year fellowship at the University of Colorado will meet or exceed academic expectations because of the breadth and depth of experience that our multiple institutions have to offer. Training takes place at the University of Colorado Hospital (UCH), the Denver Health Medical Center (DHMC), the VA Medical Center (VAMC), and Children’s Hospital Colorado (CHC).
Program Directors: Naresh Mandava, MD, and Scott Oliver, MD. Full-time University of Colorado School of Medicine Faculty: Talisa Forest (de Carlo), MD; Naresh Mandava, MD; Jeffrey Olson, MD; Scott Oliver, MD; Marc Mathias MD; Niranjan Manoharan, MD; and Jesse Smith, MD.
The facilities for clinical care are excellent in all four institutions. The fellow will have access to the ophthalmology library and will have a computer available to him or her at the Eye Institute. Outside of work the fellow will be expected to have access to a computer for research and for the preparation of didactic lectures. The patient populations are diverse in all four institutions UCH, DHMC, VA, CHC making this an exceptional fellowship experience.
The principal goal of the fellowship is to train comprehensive vitreoretinal specialists who are second to none in the field. Graduates will have the ability to diagnose complex vitreoretinal disorders and interpret fluorescein angiograms (standard and ultra-widefield), ultrasonography of the eye, as well as newer retinal imaging modalities including spectral domain optical coherence tomography and Autofluorescence imaging. In addition, the ability to carefully select and perform both traditional as well as cutting edge laser and surgical techniques will be routine for the graduate. Management of ocular oncology as well as uveitic disease of the posterior segment is expected in our clinics. The retina faculty has expertise in all these areas.
First year fellows will have a busy clinical experience involving rotations with the faculty at UCH and DHMC. The fellow will often assist in surgeries generated from the clinics at VAMC, DHMC, UCH, and CHC. For the first 6 months, all operative procedures will be performed with an attending present. Following this 6-month period, the program director, with consultation from retina faculty, will decide if the fellow will have full privileges to operate without supervision. From the beginning of the fellowship, the fellow will have the privilege to function as an attending at all 4 institutions in the clinics, to perform office procedures and take emergency call.
The objective of the first year is to develop the skills to diagnose and develop a treatment plan for all retinal conditions. Laser procedures will be mastered in the first year and most surgical procedures can be performed by the end of the first year.
The second year fellow will perform on the attending level at UCH, DHMC, CHC, and VAMC. The second year allows opportunity for the fellow to staff retina clinics and attend surgical cases at all the institutions. Hands-on experience with more complicated cases such as proliferative vitreoretinopathy and combined tractional and rhegmatogenous detachments will be plentiful. The second year fellow will also have the opportunity to operate on patients from the attending clinics with attending supervision and will have ample opportunity to fine-tune surgical skills in preparation for a comprehensive vitreoretinal practice.
The fellow will be in charge of a monthly fluorescein/case conference at which interesting cases are presented to the faculty and residents on the retina service. The residents on the retina service as well as the fellow will provide patients for the conference. In addition, retina attendings will present interesting cases to the group. The fellow will be responsible for electronically storing these cases so that they are available in a case library for future fellows and attendings. In addition, the fellow will attend other departmental conferences, including weekly case conference, twice-monthly grand rounds and monthly quality assurance reviews. The fellow will report his/her research at the annual resident, fellow and alumni research day. The fellow will attend all journal clubs featuring vitreoretinal diseases. The fellow will be required to prepare and present teaching conferences and participate in the teaching of residents and medical students.
Research opportunities abound and each fellow is expected to complete one or more projects. Specifically, the fellow will participate in clinical trials; current clinical trials include pharmacological studies in macular degeneration, retinal vascular disease, and diabetic retinopathy. In addition, research in new imaging modalities will be required. Fellows are encouraged to present their research at such meetings as the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) as well as other subspecialty vitreoretinal meetings. It is anticipated that the fellow will publish one or more papers during the two year fellowship.
The overall responsibility for evaluating the fellow will reside with the full-time vitreoretinal faculty. All faculty members involved in the fellows' training will assess cognitive and procedural competence in an ongoing fashion. Both written and verbal feedback will be provided on a quarterly basis. The fellow will maintain a surgical log, as well as a log of research activity and conferences/lectures given or attended.
The exposure to vitreoretinal diseases in the adult and pediatric populations will prepare the fellow for a rigorous career in academic vitreoretinal medical and surgical disease. The variety of pathology as well as the exposure to cutting edge technologies make this an exceptional vitreoretinal fellowship.
The specific requirements for international medical graduates include, but are not limited to, graduation from a medical school approved by the Colorado Medical Board, 36 months of clinically-based postgraduate training in the United States or Canada, and one of the following: FLEX Exam (must also have passed the ECFMG exam), state written exam, or USMLE.
The CU School of Medicine recognizes that fellows enrolled in its programs are trainees, not employees. As such, all applicants also must be able to meet conditions of the institutional training agreement. Specifically, fellows in our program must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident, refugee, asylee, or possess the appropriate documentation to allow the resident to legally train at the University of Colorado Denver School of Medicine.
If, after reviewing these websites and requirements, you feel you qualify for our fellowship, please submit an application through the San Francisco Matching Program. We ask that you also submit a copy of your USMLE score report and a brief CV via email to Laurie McCloskey by the application deadline.
Please visit our program at www.sfmatch.org for information about our application deadlines and interview dates.