Education & Training Programs
| Medical Students | Graduate Students | Postdoctoral Scholars | Residents | Fellows |
Medical Students
The Department of Ophthalmology offers the following for-credit electives for fourth-year students:
- Clinical Ophthalmology Faculty Coordinator: Jess T. Whitson, M.D. Course objectives include gaining knowledge and developing skill in the use of ophthalmic equipment; becoming proficient with the diagnosis and treatment of common ophthalmologic problems and management of eye diseases; and becoming familiar with which eye disorders can be treated in a primary care setting, and which problems require referral to an ophthalmologist.
- Introduction to Surgical-Subspecialties Faculty Coordinator: Sergio Huerta, M.D. Surgical subspecialties include cardiothoracic surgery; neurological surgery; orthopaedics; ophthalmology; otolaryngology; plastic surgery; and urology.
Summer Research Projects: Medical students interested in an Ophthalmology summer research project placement should visit UT Southwestern Medical School's centralized Medical Student Research Office. More information about Department of Ophthalmology research projects is available on research faculty members' laboratory websites.
Graduate Students
Department of Ophthalmology basic scientists contribute to the following graduate programs:
- Biological Chemistry (Igor Butovich, Ph.D.)
- Biomedical Engineering (W. Matthew Petroll, Ph.D.)
- Cancer Biology (Jerry Y. Niederkorn, Ph.D.)
- Immunology (Jerry Y. Niederkorn, Ph.D.)
Postdoctoral Scholars
Department of Ophthalmology postdoctoral training opportunities are listed on the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences section of the website.
Residency Program
The Department of Ophthalmology’s residency program is one of the best, and is the largest, in the U.S. Every year, 27 residents gain outstanding and rigorous clinical experience as a result of high surgery volume and clinical pathology. We accept nine residents each year; an internship is required prior to residency.
Fellowships
The Department of Ophthalmology’s fellowship programs are among the best in the country and include:
- Cornea, Cataract, External Disease, and Keratorefractive
- Glaucoma
- Neuro-Ophthalmology, Oculoplastics and Orbital Surgery
- Pediatric Ophthalmology and Adult Strabismus
- Vitreoretinal
- Other/International Training Opportunities (International Cornea; Joint Subspecialty Ophthalmic Fellowship for Cornea and Vitreoretinal at the St. John Ophthalmic Hospital in Jerusalem; Srikiran Institute of Ophthalmology in India; PAAO [Pan-American Association of Ophthalmology])