On behalf of the cornea faculty at the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, thank you for taking the time to explore our fellowship training program in cornea, external disease, and refractive surgery.
We are proud to offer one of the finest fellowship programs in the world – one that has served as the foundation for leaders in our field both in academic and private practice for over 40 years. Our deep commitment to fellow education has been instrumental in earning our Institute international recognition as a premier teaching, research, and patient care facility.
Our one-year clinical fellowship (SF Match ID #4161) is certified by Association of University Professors of Ophthalmology Fellowship Compliance Committee (AUPO FCC) and is based principally at Bascom Palmer in Miami, FL. We train four full-time clinical fellows annually.
For more information on our cornea fellowship in Palm Beach Gardens (SF Match ID #4694), please click here.
Meet Our Faculty
Principal Faculty
Mohamed F. Abou Shousha, M.D., Ph.D.
Eduardo C. Alfonso, M.D.
Guillermo Amescua, M.D.
Florence Cabot, M.D.
William W. Culbertson, M.D.
Kendall Donaldson, M.D., Ph.D.
Anat Galor, M.D.
Carol Karp, M.D.
Alfonso L. Sabater, M.D., Ph.D.
Lana Srur, M.D.
Rahul S. Tonk, M.D.
Sonia H. Yoo, M.D.
Angela Zhu, M.D.
Additional Faculty
Victoria Chang
Richard Forster
Allister Gibbons
Ellen Koo
Jaime Martinez
Terrence O’Brien
Fellowship Directors
Anat Galor, M.D.Rahul S. Tonk, M.D.
Structure
The BPEI cornea & refractive surgery fellowship is a one-year clinical fellowship comprised of four full-time fellows. Fellows gain the majority of their clinical and surgical experience in the Anne Bates Leach Eye Center (Miami Medical Campus), yet will also have the opportunity to work with faculty in our nearby satellites in Plantation, FL and Coral Gables, FL.
Fellows rotate weekly in a four-week cycle. For three of these weeks, fellows work with faculty in their private clinics, operating room, and refractive suite in a directly supervised environment, where they operate 2-3 days per week on average. On the fourth week, one fellow serves as the chief/on-duty cornea fellow, where he/she (with faculty support) serves as the consultant cornea specialist for the Eye Hospital, manages high acuity corneal disease, and operates 4 days per week on average.
Surgical Experience
Each year, the cornea service at BPEI performs over 500 corneal transplants (penetrating, lamellar, and endothelial); 20 keratoprostheses; 300 surgeries on the ocular surface (pterygium excision, tumor excision, surface reconstruction, and limbal stem cell transplantation); 500 refractive surgeries (LASIK, PRK, SMILE, ICL); 150 cornea cross linking procedures; and 4,000 cataract surgeries (including complex cases).
Our fellows participate in the vast majority of these procedures and operate as primary surgeon in numbers that well exceed the AUPO-reported national average.
The fellow surgical experience is bolstered by robust technology in the operating room and the LASIK and Laser Vision Center. Fellows are anticipated to obtain certifications for two femtosecond cataract platforms (Alcon LenSx, Johnson & Johnson Catalys) and two femtosecond LASIK platforms (Alcon Wavelight Refractive Suite, Johnson & Johnson iFS/Star S4) amongst a variety of other technology. Fellows particularly interested in refractive surgery also have the opportunity to train and certify in Implantable Collamer Lenses (Visian ICL).
Academics
Clinical research and publication are encouraged and supported as part of the fellowship experience. Each fellow is expected to prepare a project for presentation at the Bascom Palmer Research Symposium each spring.
Fellows benefit from an extraordinary didactic program, including weekly Grand Rounds to our weekly cornea conference, which includes case presentations, journal clubs, and no shortage of lively discussion. Fellows also attend Medication Education Conferences sponsored by BPEI and geared toward our global ophthalmology community. Fellows are encouraged to attend major national and international meetings and receive travel funding for any domestic meeting in which they present a paper or poster.
Testimonials
Click here to hear what our alumni are saying about their fellowship experience and training.Application
Fellowship positions are filled through SF Match Program (www.sfmatch.org).
Please note: You must have a Florida State Medical License before beginning your Fellowship. You must have passed all 3 parts of the USMLE for a Florida License and have spent 2 years training in the United States under direct physician supervision.
Deadline for receipt of application is September 15th.
Contact
Damarys Menendez (Manager, Fellowship Program)P.O. Box 016880
Miami, FL 33101
Toll Free: 800-329-7000 ext. 6032
Phone: 305-326-6032
Fax: 305-326-6580
Email: d.menendez3@med.miami.edu