Educational Programs Overview

• General Information
• Goals
• Clinical Experience
• Surgical Program
• Research Potential
• Educational Opportunities
• Diagnostic and Therapeutic Equipment
• Application and Funding

General Information

The UIC Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences has a large training program, in both clinical ophthalmology and basic science research. While each training program has its own objectives and activities, some general information applies to all of the programs.

Goals
The primary goal of the department's educational programs is to help residents, fellows and medical students obtain the knowledge, attitudes and skills needed to be competent, compassionate and ethical professionals. The programs provide intensive experience in patient care and surgery (when applicable), and in research so that trainees achieve expertise in ophthalmology and visual science. The residency program and most of the clinical fellowship programs provide thorough training in preparation for a career in either academic ophthalmology or private practice.

Clinical Experience
The population of patients at the UIC Eye Center is derived from the faculty members' consultative services (chiefly private patients referred from other physicians), from the General Eye Clinic and from the subspecialty clinics of the General Eye Clinic. Subspecialty fellows assist faculty in the teaching and clinical supervision of medical students and ophthalmology residents.

Residents and some fellows will gain additional clinical and surgical experience at Michael Reese Hospital and Medical Center in Chicago. The ophthalmology training programs at Michael Reese and the UIC Eye Center merged in 1990.

In addition, the Eye Center has a large patient care program at the West Side Veterans Administration Medical Center in Chicago, and residents and fellows join in all aspects of clinical care along with the faculty. Residents also perform a clinical rotation at Mercy Hospital in Chicago.

Primarily the residents are on call at night and on weekends. The clinical fellows also rotate call for emergencies and are active members of the trauma team at the center, which is a regional eye trauma center. The frequency of call depends on the clinical rotation.

Surgical Program
Major surgical procedures are performed at the University of Illinois Hospital. Residents perform surgery each year of their training with a steady increase each year. Their final year is a surgically oriented year and can be geared towards the resident's particular interests. Fellows in the surgical subspecialties perform surgery and may attend residents' surgical cases.

Research Potential
All the facilities of the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences are available for development of basic and clinical research skills. There is opportunity for collaboration with the many distinguished sub-specialists and basic scientists in our department and in other departments at the university.

Several services are available to assist residents, fellows and faculty in writing research papers. The library in the Lions of Illinois Eye Research Institute contains hundreds of ophthalmology textbooks and journal subscriptions, and MEDLINE computerized literature searches can be made. Excellent art and photographic staffs are available to help prepare illustrations, posters and slides for papers and presentations.

Educational Opportunities
Trainees are encouraged to participate in external didactic activities, such as the annual meetings of the American Academy of Ophthalmology and the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology. The center also sponsors its own didactic activities, such as journal clubs, lectures presented by the faculty, visiting professor and other guest speakers, and continuing medical education courses. Among the CME conferences held annually are Clinical Challenges Day, Residents-Alumni Day, an Annual Glaucoma Symposium, and Annual Cornea Symposium, weekly Ophthalmology Grand Rounds, and several half-day Pediatric Ophthalmology symposia.

Diagnostic and Therapeutic Equipment

Trainees will find the diagnostic and therapeutic equipment in the General Eye Clinic and subspecialty services readily accessible. Virtually every new and established clinical diagnostic tools are available including OCT3, RetCam 120, UBM, retinal topography, corneal topography, 3-D B-scan ultrasound and state-of-the-art phacoemulsification machines. In addition, the new Outpatient Care Center attached to the Eye and Ear Infirmary by skywalk has three new MRIs including a 3.0 T MRI dedicated to research activities.

Application and Funding

A personal interview is required for all training positions.

Residents must have completed a postgraduate clinical year in a program approved and accredited by the Accreditation Council Graduate Medical Education (ACGME). The three-year residency appointments begin July 1.

Subspecialty Fellows must have completed an accredited residency truing program and be eligible for medical licensure in Illinois. A permanent license is required. Fellowship appointments are normally from July through June, but the starting date may be negotiated with each preceptor. There are no deadlines for application; however, candidates are encouraged to apply one year before the anticipated starting date. Fellows are selected by the preceptors in each subspecialty area. The Association of University Professors of Ophthalmology sponsors a fellowship matching program, with a match date for the most subspecialty fellowships in November.

All fellowship applicants are encouraged to apply for external funding, such as individual fellowship grants awarded through the National Institutes of Health, the Heed Foundation, Fight for Sight, Inc., Research to Prevent Blindness, Inc., and other foundations. These granting agencies often have deadlines for application. Some of these foundations and agencies have special funding programs for minority applicants.

The Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences can provide salaries to clinical fellows on a limited basis, but salaried fellows must have no other employment. Visual Science Fellows may receive salary support from individual faculty members' research grants. We will make every attempt to assist you in obtaining adequate funding.

Residents and salaried fellows have a 100 percent appointment with the University of Illinois and are therefore entitled to benefits, including health and life insurance, vacation and sick leave. The university provides malpractice insurance coverage to all residents and fellows for clinical activities associated with the program.

For additional information about a specific training program or for an application, contact the coordinator or preceptor for that program.

The University of Illinois is an affirmative action/equal opportunity employer.