Fellowship in Retinal-Vitreous Disease

Introduction

The Department of Ophthalmology at Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine offers a two-year combined research and clinical fellowship in vitreo-retinal diseases and surgery.  This program is AUPO compliant.  The program provides comprehensive training in both medical retina and vitreo-retinal surgery.  The program is intended to prepare the candidate for either a career in academic medicine or private practice.  Fellows will work closely with both attending physicians and residents and will be actively involved in the residency teaching program.

The fellowship is administered through the Ophthalmology Matching Program.  Requests for an application and other inquiries should be sent to:  Education Coordinator, Department of Ophthalmology, 85 East Concord Street, 8th Floor, Boston, MA 02118.

1st Year Surgical Retina Fellow

Fellows will participate in the evaluation and management of patients with medical retinal disorders such as age-related maculopathy, diabetic retinopathy, ocular inflammation, and retinal degeneration.  There will be extensive training in the interpretation of fluorescein, OCT, ERG, ultrasound, and indocyanine green angiography.  There will also be an opportunity to examine patients with retinal degenerations and to participate in electroretinographic studies.  The fellows will perform retinal laser photocoagulation and intravitreal injections. The first year fellow will be involved in surgery, predominantly on call.

2nd Year Surgical Retina Fellow

Fellows will obtain extensive training in vitreo-retinal surgery.  This will include pre-operative, intra-operative and post-operative considerations.  This training will include all currently employed methods of vitreo-retinal surgery including scleral buckling surgery and pars plana vitrectomy.  The surgical experience will include exposure to various techniques such as membrane stripping, the use of intra-ocular gases, silicone oil and perfluorocarbon liquids and the repair of complex rhegmatogenous and tractional retinal detachments.  Vitreo-retinal surgery will be performed at the Boston Medical Center, as well as the Boston Veterans’ Administration Medical Center (VAMC) in Jamaica Plain.  The Boston VAMC is a regional referral center for all of New England.  The Boston University vitreo-retinal fellow will participate in all retinal surgeries performed at the center.  The Boston University retinal fellow is the only fellow to participate in the retina clinics or vitreo-retinal surgery performed at the Boston VAMC.

Medical Retina Fellowship

For the academic year of 2017, we added a medical retina fellowship at Boston University Eye Associates/Boston Medical Center. The medical retina fellow will be immersed in learning the evaluation and management of patients with medical retinal disorders such as age related maculopathy, diabetic retinopathy, ocular inflammation, and retinal degeneration. They will be exposed to interpretating fluorescein angiography, OCT, ERG, ultrasound, and indocyanine green angiography. There will also be an opportunity to examine patients with retinal degenerations and to participate in electroretinographic studies. The medical retina fellow has the opportunity to perform retinal laser photocoagulation and intravitreal injections at Boston Medical Center.

Faculty