About the Program
The Fellowship in Vitreoretinal Diseases & Surgery at Baylor College of Medicine is a funded two-year post-residency training program. One or two positions are available each year beginning in July.
Our aim is to train vitreoretinal specialists who, above all, will make excellent surgeons and will contribute to advances in the field. Vitreoretinal specialists trained at Baylor College of Medicine, besides outstanding surgical skill, will have a solid knowledge of medical retina and posterior uveitis, including the most recent advances in these fields. Additionally, fellows partake in clinical trials within the retina division and are also expected to conduct clinical research, present abstracts at national conferences, and contribute to the literature through peer-reviewed publications.
The retina fellow will be trained in clinical diagnosis, evaluation, management, laser treatment and all surgical techniques required in the care of vitreoretinal patients and will be expected to aid in interpreting visual fields, fluorescein angiography, electrophysiology, ultrasonography and fundus photography. The fellow sees and works up at least 300 cases of operable retinal detachment and another 400-500 cases of trauma, tumors, diabetes, and/or vitreoretinal conditions requiring treatment.
The fellow is encouraged to participate in conferences provided by the department including pathology, fluorescein, oculoplastic/oncology, ethics, practice management, and grand rounds.
The fellow is expected to initiate and complete an independent investigative clinical project to submit for presentation or publication as well as participate in data collection and patient care related to clinical trials being conducted within the retina service.
Curriculum
Active faculty members in this two-year surgical retina fellowship include Dr. J. Timothy Stout, Dr. Alice McPherson, Dr. Christina Weng, Dr. Tahira Scholle, and Dr. Brigid Marshall. While the fellowship has a core strength in developing solid surgical retina techniques, it also provides excellent training in medical retina, including exposure to uveitis, ocular tumors, inherited retinal degenerations, and pediatric retina. Of note, fellows at Baylor College of Medicine receive faculty appointments as clinical instructors.
All of the clinical and surgical activities take place in the Texas Medical Center (Baylor College of Medicine Ambulatory Surgery Center, Gramercy Outpatient Surgical Center, Houston Methodist Hospital, Texas Children's Hospital, Baylor St. Luke's Medical Center, Ben Taub Hospital, and the Michael E. DeBakey Veterans Affairs Medical Center).
The clinical location for activities of the Department of Ophthalmology at Baylor is the Alkek Eye Center with an ambulatory surgery center on the ground level. The Baylor Ambulatory Surgery Center is equipped with Alcon Constellation and B&L Stellaris machines.
The Michael E. DeBakey Veterans Affairs Medical Center has a retina room in the day surgery suite equipped with a Zeiss microscope with non-contact, wide-field viewing (BIOM), an Accurus vitrectomy machine with Xenon light source with routine use of 25-, 23- and occasionally, 20-gauge vitrectomy as indicated.
Ben Taub Hospital, where much of the surgical training takes place, also has a ceiling-mounted Zeiss microscope with non-contact, wide-field viewing system (BiOM), an Accurus vitrectomy machine with Xenon light source with routine use of 23-, 25- and occasional 20-gauge vitrectomy as indicated.
During the first year, the fellow spends two days a week in the clinic with Dr. Alice McPherson, evaluating both new and established patients. The fellow has
- one half-day of laser procedures (~200 laser procedures in the first year),
- one day of injections/continuity care at the Michael E. DeBakey Veterans Affairs Medical Center, half-day of private clinic with an attending at Alkek, and
- one day of surgery split between the Alkek Ambulatory Surgical Center and the VA (~50-100 as primary, ~25-50 as assist).
Additional surgical experience as primary surgeon is obtained during supervised emergency surgery (~25-35 cases such as intraocular foreign body removal or macula-on retinal detachment repair) at the VA or Ben Taub Hospital. Hands-on experience with procedures such as vitreous tap/inject and pneumatic retinopexy will be acquired as well. Call is shared equally with the senior fellow.
Additionally, the fellow is expected to conduct clinical research starting in the first year. If interested, facilities and projects in basic or translational research are also available. The fellow is also an active participant in numerous didactic activities such as journal clubs (twice per month), grand rounds (twice per month), imaging conference (twice per month), and research meetings (once per month).
During the second year, the fellow spends two full days each week in the OR at the VA and Ben Taub, operating on ~350-450 patients (assisting on ~50). All of the division faculty members are involved in the staffing of these cases, allowing for broad exposure to a variety of surgical techniques (including scleral buckling).
Additionally, the fellow has a
- half-day of injection clinic at Ben Taub (>500 injections in the second year),
- half-day of supervised laser clinic at Ben Taub (>500 lasers in the second year),
- and two days of continuity care.
Similar to the first year, the senior fellow is actively involved with numerous didactic opportunities including journal clubs, conferences, wet labs, and research endeavors.
Upon completion of the fellowship, one should expect to be extremely well trained and well-prepared. Our graduating fellows have successfully pursued both academic and private practice careers. Any questions should be directed to the fellowship program director, Dr. Christina Weng - Attention: Claireese Kimmons at claireese.kimmons@bcm.edu.
Admissions and Benefits
Applicants for the fellowship should have satisfactorily completed 36 months of residency training in a United States program approved by the Residency Review Committee in Ophthalmology and accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education. Texas Medical licensure and United States citizenship are required.
We participate in the San Francisco Match for Diseases and Surgery of the Retina and Vitreous fellowships. Please refer to the SFMatch website for details and deadlines. Once registered, you can view our program listing on the SFMatch directory website for all required documents.
For any questions, please contact Robin Caldwell at robinc@bcm.edu.
Also, note that there is a restrictive covenant in place. It is our expectation that the specialists we train will practice outside the wide Houston Metropolitan area unless they join the faculty at Baylor College of Medicine.
View stipends and benefits information on the Graduate Medical Education website.
Wellness
Maintaining your physical and emotional wellness is a prerequisite to professional success. Our fellows have access to a number of programs to support their well-being. View wellness resources.
Affiliations with leading research and healthcare institutions in and around the Texas Medical Center, the world’s largest healthcare complex, provide access to an exceptionally diverse array of people and resources. Discover how our affiliations enhance our education programs.