The Weill Cornell Medicine Vitreoretinal Surgery Fellowship is a two-year, AUPO-certified fellowship that encompasses both medical and surgical vitreoretinal training. Fellows gain comprehensive experience in the surgical and medical management of both adult and pediatric vitreoretinal disease. Overall, it is estimated that each fellow graduates with approximately 300 cases as primary surgeon, with each case supervised by a fellowship-trained vitreoretinal specialist. Our distinguished surgical faculty members, including Drs. Donald D'Amico (Weill Cornell Medicine Israel Englander Department of Ophthalmology chair), Anton Orlin (Vitreoretinal and Medical Retina Fellowship Director), Szilard Kiss (retinal service division chief), Mhd Abdallah Mahrous, Kyle Kovacs, Michael Nissen, Sangwoo Lee (New York Mets team ophthalmologist), and Charles Mango, all staff and supervise surgical cases. The Vitreoretinal Fellowship surgical experience is varied, and includes primary retinal detachments, PVR/tractional and diabetic detachments, macular surgery, pediatric retinal surgery, primary scleral buckling, vitrectomy in keratoprosthesis, endoscopic approaches and scleral-sutured IOL procedures.
In addition to clinical training, fellows are required to take part in clinical and/or basic science research projects. We are currently involved in several major clinical trials as well as numerous international research collaborations. Fellows have full access to our main basic science laboratory, the Margaret M. Dyson Vision Research Institute, with a staff of over 25 scientists, in 12,000 square feet of open laboratory space. Dyson Institute facilities enable our cutting-edge biochemistry, molecular biology and optical microscopy retinal research. In addition, our microsurgical laboratory allows for extensive work with oxygen-induced retinopathy and laser CNVM models. All resident investigators share major facilities and equipment in the Dyson Institute equally, providing particular advantage for junior investigators who seek to use state-of-the-art equipment to establish their independent lines of research and funding. Fellows are provided with the support necessary to present their research at local and international meetings (e.g., Retina Society, ASRS, AAO, ARVO, Nantucket Retina), as well as the privilege to attend the Vit-Buckle Society and Aspen Retina Detachment Society meetings held each spring.
Fellows also instruct medical students and ophthalmology residents, take part in weekly didactic sessions overseen by visiting and full-time faculty members and share retina call responsibilities. First-year fellows are also responsible for sharing trauma calls (including staffing open globe repair surgeries with senior residents) with all other Weill Cornell Medicine Israel Englander Department of Ophthalmology fellows.
We provide our vitreoretinal fellows with the experience and skill set necessary to flourish in the worlds of academic medicine or private practice. With a track record of placing fellows in premier private practices and faculty positions, we are committed to providing the support necessary to succeed both during and after fellowship training.
Application
All Vitreoretinal Fellowship applicants must be eligible for a full medical license per the New York State Education Office of Professions in Medicine. International medical graduates must also be eligible for an H-1B visa (eligibility includes passing all three steps of the USMLE and reporting results to Weill Cornell Medicine Israel Englander Department of Ophthalmology prior to match deadline). Full licensure requirements are available from the NYSED Office of Professions.
The Weill Cornell Medicine Vitreoretinal Ophthalmology Fellowship Program is AUPO-compliant. Further application information is available from SF Match.