Fellowship Director:
Yu-Guang He, M.D.
Phone: 214-648-3838
Preceptors, Clinical Faculty:
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Yu-Guang He, M.D.
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David Birch, Ph.D. (Electrophysiology)
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Kamel Itani, M.D. (Ultrasonography)
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Carol G. Reinert, M.D. (VA Hospital)
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Rafael Ufret-Vincenty, M.D.
Preceptor, Research Faculty
We offer positions for two fellows at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas (840.42). The fellowship is two years (24 months) in length. Surgical responsibilities are graduated between the first and second years.
Goal: The goal of the vitreoretinal fellowship program is to provide graduates of accredited programs the widest possible exposure to surgical and medical retina. The fellowship is suitable for those who are considering a career in private practice or academic ophthalmology.
Appointment: Prospective Retina Fellows are required to sign a Memorandum of Appointment, which contains a restrictive covenant. For further information on the restrictive covenant, please contact the Education Office for the Department of Ophthalmology at 214-648-3848.
First year: The first year of fellowship is spent on the referral services of the retina faculty. Drs. David Birch and Kamel Itani, as well as the other faculty teach electrophysiology and ultrasonography. Faculty surgical cases are performed at St. Paul University Hospital and Children’s Medical Center Dallas. The fellow scrubs on roughly 200 cases during the year. Primary surgical responsibilities extend to service patients at John Peter Smith Hospital in Ft. Worth, Parkland Memorial Hospital, and the Dallas Veterans Affairs Medical Center. At these hospitals, the fellow is usually the primary surgeon with staff supervision. Extensive exposure is provided to wide angle viewing systems in vitreous surgery, silicone oil surgery, and perfluorochemical vitreous substitutes. Experience in macular and subretinal surgery is also provided. One half day per week of unstructured time for research may be available for interested individuals. Research activities are strongly encouraged and submission of an abstract for presentation at a major scientific meeting is expected.
The first year fellow performs retinopathy of prematurity examinations at St. Paul University Hospital and Parkland Memorial Hospital with the second year retina resident; the fellow examines all infants, and if needed, treats any high-risk eyes that are identified.
Second year: The second-year fellow schedules two days of surgery per week at Parkland Memorial Hospital and performs approximately 300-400 cases as primary surgeon during the year. The operating room is fully equipped with a new Zeiss microscope with video camera, an argon and diode laser with endo and indirect delivery systems, Accurus vitrectomy system, fragmatome, illuminated forceps and scissors, a complete array of retinal instruments from Grieshaber, Mentor, DORC, and Synergetics, as well as subretinal instruments from DORC, sew-on lens sets, the Grieshaber MPC, and the Richard James silicone oil injection system. Silicone oil and liquid perflrorochemicals are available. The BIOM and VOLK wide angle viewing systems are also availablein all surgical facilities.
The second-year fellow supervises fluorescein angiography readings by the second-year (Parkland Memorial Hospital) retinal residents.
The fellow and third-year resident rotating on the retina service at Parkland Hospital run the retina clinics. Generally, there are 30 to 40 patients from which up to 10 surgical cases are posted. The second-year fellow is also involved in the medical and surgical care of patients at John Peter Smith Hospital, which has a fully equipped OR for vitreoretinal surgery.
Conferences and teaching: Didactic opportunities include weekly retina lectures, weekly grand rounds, bimonthly conference, vitreoretinal journal clubs and Dallas-area retina meetings. Fellows help organize fluorescein angiography conferences, journal clubs, and weekly retina service meetings.
Clinical facilities: Fellows divide their clinical time among Parkland Memorial Hospital, St. Paul University Hospital, Children’s Medical Center Dallas, The Aston Ambulatory Care Center, John Peter Smith Hospital, and the Dallas Veterans Affairs Medical Center. Except for the VA Hospital and John Peter Smith Hospital, all are within the same campus and physically connected. Therefore, transit time is minimal. Learn more about our facilities.
Laboratory facilities: Laboratory facilities are available within the medical center for animal experimental, imaging and spectroscopic studies, computer modeling, molecular and cell biology, enzymology and electrophysiology. Fellows have the opportunity to participate in ongoing research.
Outpatient volume: The Parkland Eye Clinic schedules an average of 120 to 150 patients per day. Of these, the residents do all the general ophthalmic workups during four half-day retina clinics per week. Faculty referral clinics generally schedule around 20 patients per half-day.
Meetings: Submission of abstracts to ARVO and the Academy meetings is strongly encouraged. Travel assistance is available.
The department and medical school ;The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center Department of Ophthalmology is the largest in the five-state region. Aside from a residency program that accepts eight applicants per year, fellowships are available in retina, glaucoma, pediatrics, and cornea. The medical school is now 50 years old and enjoys worldwide recognition with four active Nobel laureates.
Other local institutions: Local institutions of possible interest to vitreoretinal fellows include the Retina Foundation of the Southwestern, The University of Texas at Dallas, Southern Methodist University, and The University of Texas at Arlington.
Stipend: First year fellows are paid at the PGY-5 level; second year fellows are paid at the PGY-6 level.
Licensure requirements: A Texas medical license is required and must be obtained prior to starting the fellowship. Please contact the Texas State Board of Medical Examiners, Austin, Texas, for licensure prerequisites (512-834-7728). Foreign fellows must have a visa status that allows them to bill for their services.
Application Process: Retina fellowship program applicants must register and submit an application through the SFMatch Central Application System (CAS). Please refer to the SFMatch website (http://www.sfmatch.org) to register for the match and read about the new process for applying to Ophthalmology Fellowship training in 2008. Once registered, you can view our program listing on the SFMatch directory website.
Applications are due by September 1st. Personal, on-site interviews are required and are granted by invitation only. Invitations are issued via e-mail using the address provided on the application. Candidates invited to interview may be requested to submit a CV, photo and supplemental application. Applications received after September 1st will be considered for interviews on a space-available basis.
Interview Logistics: Interviews are conducted on Fridays during September, October, and November. We will conduct our 2008 interviews on the following Fridays:
September 19, 2008
October 3, 2008
October 24, 2008
Interviewees should plan to arrive in Dallas on Thursday evening in time to attend an informal reception beginning at 6:30 p.m. at the Crowne Plaza Hotel (hotel details below). This is an informal get together so please dress comfortably!
Plan to allow one and one-half hours between your flight arrival and hotel check-in. Additional details about the following day's interview process will be announced during the reception. The interview day can last until 5:00 p.m. on Friday, so please schedule departing flights accordingly.
Hotel/Transportation
A block of rooms has been reserved for interviewees at the Crowne Plaza Hotel at the special rate of $69.00 per night. When making your reservations, be sure to request the UT Southwestern rate.
Crowne Plaza - Dallas Market Center
7050 North Stemmons Freeway
Dallas, TX 75247
Main Number: 214-630-8500
The Crowne Plaza offers complimentary transportation to/from Love Field Airport. Call the hotel's main number upon arrival at the airport and request pick-up service. Cab service and Super Shuttle (www.supershuttle.com) are two options for those flying into the DFW airport.
Transportation to the University on Friday morning and back to the hotel or Love Field on Friday afternoon will be provided by the hotel. More details about this will be available at the Thursday evening reception.
Additional Information: Questions may be directed to the Education Office in the Ophthalmology Department at UT Southwestern Medical Center.
5323 Harry Hines Boulevard
Dallas, Texas 75390-9057
Phone 214-648-3848
Fax: 214-645-9482
E-mail: OphthEdu@UTSouthwestern.edu.
The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center is an equal opportunity employer. Those with diverse backgrounds are encouraged to apply.
