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The New York Presbyterian Hospital - Weill Cornell Medical College Ophthalmology Residency Program fosters the development of outstanding clinicians and surgeons who possess the skills necessary to expertly diagnosis and manage the full spectrum of ophthalmic disease.
At the heart of the program is the unparalleled diversity of learning opportunities. This starts with the rich clinical learning environment that is made up of world-class institutions such as New York Presbyterian Hospital, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, Hospital for Special Surgery, and New York Presbyterian Queens. Our residents care for a diverse cohort of patients, exposing them to a wide breadth of ophthalmic pathology and treatment options that span from the very common to the extremely rare. Additionally, the social, cultural, and economic diversity of practicing medicine in New York City allows for the development of critical skills in patient communication, compassionate care, and professionalism.
The high faculty to resident ratio translates into highly individualized mentorship opportunities to help residents identify and pursue their professional goals. The residency program provides the foundational support and resources to foster the individual resident’s interest in leadership, clinical care, and research to ensure their success in their chosen field. Recognizing the growing faculty size, and increased clinical and surgical volume within the Department, the residency complement was increased to 4 residents per year in 2022. The program will grow to a 16-resident, four-year, fully integrated program by 2025.
The residency is a highly competitive program, receiving over 500 applications a year for 4 possible slots per year. The program is fully accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME). The ophthalmology residency program is under the leadership of Dr. Kyle J. Godfrey.
1. To train clinicians and surgeons to possess the skills necessary to expertly diagnosis and manage the full spectrum of ophthalmic diseases.
2. To mentor and train ethical and compassionate physicians to deliver high quality, patient-centered care to people of diverse cultural and socio-economic backgrounds.
3. To cultivate an attitude of lifelong learning and to teach residents to critically evaluate the literature in order to deliver timely, evidence-based care.
4. To provide basic, translational, and clinical research opportunities, and to inspire residents to develop, investigate, and answer hypothesis-driven research questions.
5. To foster the individual interests of residents, by providing mentorship and resources to help residents identify and pursue their professional goals to become the next generation of ophthalmic leaders and innovators.
Our robust didactic program consists of:
Our new, multi-specialty, fully integrated internship was thoughtfully designed to complement the subsequent three years of ophthalmology residency. This formative year has distinct educational advantages relative to traditional preliminary internships.
Each incoming resident will begin their PGY-1 year in the Department of Ophthalmology at Weill Cornell to orient them to the Department, New York Presbyterian Hospital, Weill Cornell Medical College, and New York. A total of three months will be spent in in Ophthalmology learning the fundamentals and principles of the ophthalmic exam, patient workup, and basic ophthalmic surgical technique. The remaining months include judiciously selected rotations with allied specialties. These include rotations in Emergency Medicine, Otolaryngology/Head and Neck Surgery, Neurology, Neuro-Radiology, Dermatology, and Internal Medicine, including Endocrinology, Infectious Disease, and Rheumatology (at the Hospital for Special Surgery, one of the top rheumatology hospitals in the country).
Each of these electives provide the future ophthalmologist with world-class exposure to the evaluation and management of systemic diseases with common ophthalmologic manifestations, and advances collegiality between the physicians with whom each resident will work throughout their training and careers. Throughout the year, there will be opportunities for mentorship, research, and longitudinal exposure within ophthalmology.
The second year of residency represents a concentrated introduction to the basic principles and theories of general ophthalmology and ophthalmic surgery. First-year residents master the basic techniques of ophthalmic exam, as well as the diagnosis and management of a variety of ocular diseases, while rotating on our comprehensive eye service. First-year residents have the opportunity to assist with and perform under supervision minor surgical procedures including chalazia and pterygia excisions as well as minor eyelid procedures and temporal artery biopsies. While on our cornea rotation, first-year residents participate in care, workup and surgical assistance for both routine and complex refractive, cataract, cornea and external disease patients.
In addition, our first-year residents rotate on the following services: · Ocular oncology: with Dr. David Abramson at Memorial Sloan Kettering Hospital. · Low vision: at the world-renowned Lighthouse Guild.
The third year of residency at Weill Cornell Medicine is one of subspecialty immersion. Residents spend their time on the glaucoma, pediatric/strabismus, and vitreoretinal services, obtaining significant experience in the diagnosis and medical and surgical management of complex eye diseases. During the second year, surgical experience includes strabismus cases, retinal and glaucoma lasers and surgery, and an introduction to cataract surgery. Second-year residents also develop skills and expertise on the busy inpatient consultation service at New York-Presbyterian Hospital, serving as specialty consultants, working with and teaching those from other disciplines while caring for inpatients with ophthalmic disorders.
During their second year, through our comprehensive cataract surgery wet lab experience, each resident must complete a minimum of 20 attending-supervised simulated cases before their first surgery. The residency program also utilizes a robust virtual cataract simulator curriculum to develop surgical expertise.
In their last year of residency training, residents develop mastery of their medical and surgical skills while taking on more leadership, education and administration roles. They spend the year rotating at three sites, immersed in a broad and diverse ophthalmic experience. At each site, a senior resident functions as the chief resident, with responsibilities ranging from teaching junior residents and rotating medical students to organizing clinic schedules and didactic conferences.
Participation in scholarly activity is an integral component of the Weill Cornell Medicine Ophthalmology Residency Program. Our NIH-grant funding is among the highest of any program in the U.S., with diverse research initiatives range from basic retinal and corneal pathophysiology science to a multitude of ongoing prospective studies organized by our in-house clinical trials unit. We also engage in translational projects with biomedical engineering colleagues at Cornell University's Ithaca, NY campus.
Residents have ample opportunities to participate in research projects, and all of our residents have presented their work at major ophthalmic meetings (ARVO, ASCRS, AAO, Retina Society, etc.) and had their work published in respected, peer-reviewed journals. In addition, when a first-author paper or poster is accepted at a major meeting, we reimburse resident travel expenses.
Call scheduling during all three years of ophthalmology residency is 100-percent call-from-home, without overnight in-house call or night float rotations. We maintain compliance with all state, hospital and ACGME-mandated duty hours.
The majority of our graduating residents apply for subspecialty fellowships. In recent years, our residents have matched at Harvard/MEEI, UCLA, USC, Duke, Johns Hopkins/Wilmer, Weill Cornell, Wills Eye Hospital, Columbia, Stanford, University of Michigan, UC-Davis and UCSF, for neuro-ophthalmology, retinal, corneal, glaucoma and pediatric fellowships. Over the last 10 years, our graduates have performed above the national average in first-time pass rates on the American Board of Ophthalmology written and oral exams. Many of our graduates have become world-renowned leaders in clinical and academic ophthalmology.
Stipend & Supplies
We provide new residents with the latest editions of the multi-volume American Academy of Ophthalmology Basic & Clinical Science Course textbooks and Wills Eye Manual, as well as a complete set of retinal indirect lenses (90D, 20D) and a four-mirror gonioscopy lens. A $1,000 stipend is also provided to cover equipment and textbook costs over the course of the three-year residency.
Life in Manhattan is unlike anywhere else in the world, and Weill Cornell Medicine is uniquely situated within one of the safest, wealthiest, and most vibrant neighborhoods in the city, the Upper East Side. This picturesque neighborhood is home to Central Park, world-class museums including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Whitney Museum and Guggenheim, boutique designer shopping along Madison Avenue, the mansions of Park Avenue, and a plethora of five-star restaurants. The rest of Manhattan and its countless treasures are all easily accessible from the Upper East Side and the Weill Cornell Medical College campus.
Resident salary and benefits are very competitive for New York City. All residents are guaranteed housing in one of many Weill Cornell Medicine apartment buildings. Our resident housing is among the finest in the city, conveniently located and priced well under market value for the neighborhood.
All residents are entitled to four weeks of paid leave each year.
Residency applications must be submitted through the Central Application Service (CAS) of SF Match. International medical graduates must possess a J-1 visa and be registered with ECFMG.
More information, as well as application and interview dates, are available from SF Match.
