VITREORETINAL FELLOWSHIP

This two-year fellowship is designed for advanced training in vitreoretinal diseases 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 in July, 2009.

The two-year 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 the 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 the Children’s Hospital of Denver (TCH).

Program Director: Naresh Mandava, M.D.
Full-time University of Colorado School of Medicine Faculty : Naresh Mandava, M.D., Jeffrey Olson, M.D., Scott Oliver, M.D., and Hugo Quiroz-Mercado, M.D., Chief of Ophthalmology and vitreoretinal attending at DHMC.

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. The fellow will be expected to have access to a computer outside of work as well for research and for the preparation of didactic lectures. The patient populations are diverse in all four institutions UCH, DHMC, VA , TCH making this an exceptional fellowship experience.

The principle 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, ultrasonography of the eye, as well as newer retinal imaging modalities. In addition, the ability to carefully select and perform both longstanding 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 have 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 and UCH. 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 VAMC, UCH, DHMC, and TCH. 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.

EDUCATIONAL RESPONSIBILITIESTop

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 RESPONSIBILITIESTop

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.

FUNDINGTop

The fellowship is funded by the Department of Ophthalmology and health insurance is included. An academic appointment is provided at the "Instructor" level in the School of Medicine. Funding is provided for the follow to travel each year to present a paper at the AAO or ARVO meeting.

FELLOW EVALUATIONTop

The overall responsibility for evaluating the fellow will reside with the four 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 will make this an exceptional vitreoretinal fellowship.

APPLICATION PROCEDURESTop

• Successful applicants must be able to be fully licensed in the state of Colorado by the start of the fellowship in July. The website from the Colorado Board of Medical Examiners (http://www.dora.state.co.us/medical/index.htm) has detailed information about licensing requirements for the state of Colorado.  You must be able to be fully licensed in the state of Colorado to be considered for our fellowship programs including successful completion of all three steps of the USMLE.  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.  Applicants must also pass a criminal background investigation (criteria specified in University background investigation policies).

• Completed applications must be submitted through the San Francisco matching program (www.sfmatch.org) and must be received by them by September 30th for consideration.  Interviews are conducted by invitation only and are arranged through the Fellowship Director's office.  Only candidates who are being seriously considered for appointment will be invited for a personal interview.  In addition to the application and required documents submitted through the SF Match, we ask that you submit a copy of your OKAP scores from residency as well as medical school transcripts.

Please send your supplemental documents to:

Rocky Mountain Lions Eye Institute

Attention: Residency/Fellowship Coordinator

1675 North Aurora Court, MS F731

PO Box 6510

Aurora, CO  80045

For more information, please contact the Residency/Fellowship Coordinator.