Glaucoma Fellowship
Overview
Mission
The Department offers a one-year, comprehensive, Association of University Professors of Ophthalmology Fellowship Compliance Committee (AUPO FCC) compliant Glaucoma Fellowship. This competitive training program is designed to provide exposure to all aspects of Glaucoma care.
Accreditation
The fellowship is sponsored by the Department of Ophthalmology at the University of Washington. The fellowship is approved by and monitored by the Association of University Professors of Ophthalmology Fellowship Compliance Committee (AUPO FCC).
Goals & Objectives
The overall objective of this fellowship is to offer an exceptional blend of clinical opportunities and research experience in an academic setting. Our goal is to teach competent and compassionate practitioners the medical judgment and special skills required of a glaucoma specialist. A wide range of pathology and a diverse patient population are encountered through the rotations as the fellows are entrusted with increasing clinical independence and responsibility.
Application
Application
In our application process, one fellow is selected yearly for the one-year fellowship. Interviews are offered to candidates after a review of all the application materials. This position is offered through the San Francisco Matching Program (www.sfmatch.org). Please see the dates and deadlines on the website. Candidates who will have successfully completed their ophthalmology residency training and who are able to obtain a license to practice medicine in the state of Washington are considered.
Benefits
Salary is paid at an approximation of the Program Year level using ACGME salary scale. The fellow receives life insurance and health benefits through the University of Washington. Fellows are provided with malpractice insurance for their fellowship-based activities. The fellow has traditionally attended specialty meetings or conferences as part of their advanced training.
Eligibility and Selection Policy
The University of Washington Department of Ophthalmology welcomes applicants for our AUPO-certified fellowship programs in vitreoretinal surgery, glaucoma, neuro-ophthalmology, pediatric ophthalmology, and uveitis and ocular inflammatory disease, as well as our ASOPRS-certified fellowship program in oculoplastic surgery.
Applicants must have 1) satisfactorily completed a residency in ophthalmology that is accredited by either the ACGME or the American Osteopathic Association-accredited (or Canadian equivalent) or 2) already be certified in ophthalmology by the ABMS (or Canadian equivalent). Preference will be given to graduates of ACGME-accredited residencies and individuals eligible for Physician and Surgeon licensure in the State of Washington. Applicants must be US citizens or Permanent Residents. The Department of Ophthalmology is committed to developing a diverse physician workforce and welcomes applications from individuals from historically under-represented backgrounds. Our program recruits applicants without regard to race, color, creed, religion, national origin, sex, pregnancy, age, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, genetic information, disability, or veteran status.
Recruitment is based on applicants’ qualifications and ability to do the job. Selection criteria for our fellowships include a record of outstanding patient care; a record of scholarship in ophthalmology; enthusiasm for serving as teacher to junior fellows, residents, and students; excellent communication skills; and a record of exemplary professionalism.
Education and Training
Education & Training
Clinical Experience
The Fellow will be granted the academic title of Acting Instructor at the University of Washington and will be based in the UW Medicine Eye Institute, center for ophthalmology clinical services. The glaucoma service within the 27,000-square-foot patient care arena has dedicated consultation and treatment rooms. The Eye Institute is based on the campus of Harborview Medical Center, and fellows learn to evaluate and manage conditions common to the glaucoma specialist's practice, along with unusual and rare disorders that present to a quaternary care institution serving the entire WWAMI (Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana, Idaho) region with its catchment area of 11 million patients.
In addition to working at the UW Medicine Eye Institute, the fellow will spend approximately two half days each week at the Harborview Medical Center 4-West ophthalmology clinic (across the street from the Eye Institute), working with glaucoma attendings to manage the glaucoma needs of the county hospital patients. Fellows are exposed to the full range of modern diagnostic and treatment modalities. They are expected to be proficient in the examination and management of complex glaucoma patients, interpretation of glaucoma clinical tests, laser procedures, and surgical techniques for the treatment of glaucoma by the end of the fellowship.
Fellows are trained in a wide array of glaucoma procedures, including but not limited to trabeculectomy, bleb revision, glaucoma drainage implantation, glaucoma drainage device revision, minimally invasive glaucoma surgery, cyclodialysis repair, simple and complex cataract surgery, and endoscopic cyclodestruction. Well-maintained, state-of-the-art equipment is available at all sites and attending supervision is available for every case. Well-trained technicians and photographers are present in all clinics.
Research Experience
Fellows are expected to attend and participate in weekly Grand Rounds. Fellows' scholarly activities consist of clinical or basic science research as well as some clinical and didactic teaching for the residents. Fellows are encouraged to submit their work to a peer-reviewed journal and are encouraged to attend local and national meetings where they have the opportunity to present their research.
On-Call
Residents take primary call for the Department. The fellow takes second call for emergencies requiring the services of the Glaucoma Division and occasionally takes primary attending call.