On behalf of the glaucoma faculty at the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, we appreciate you taking the time to explore our fellowship training program in glaucoma. This one-year clinical fellowship offered through the SF Match (ID #4238) is certified by the Association of University Professors of Ophthalmology Fellowship Compliance Committee (AUPO FCC) and is based at Bascom Palmer Eye Institute in Miami, FL. We train four full-time clinical fellows annually.
For more information on our glaucoma fellowship in Palm Beach Gardens (SF Match ID #4239) please click here
Structure
The BPEI glaucoma fellowship is a one-year clinical fellowship comprised of four fellows who see clinic patients with the full-time faculty and participate in faculty surgery. Fellows gain the majority of clinical and surgical experience at the Anne Bates Leach Eye Center in Miami but also rotate at the Miami Veterans Affairs Medical Center and the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute in Plantation, FL.
Fellows rotate in four 3-month blocks, with each block being paired with 2 or 3 attending physicians in clinics and surgery. One of these blocks is focused primarily on the evaluation and management of childhood glaucoma and related pediatric anterior segment diseases. In addition, fellows take turns being the on-duty glaucoma fellow where he/she (with faculty support) serves as the consultant glaucoma specialist for the Institute managing acute glaucoma emergencies. While the BPEI residents take primary responsibility for the Eye Emergency Department duties, all BPEI fellows also take part in a call schedule for Emergency Department supervisory responsibilities and primary call for the University of Miami Hospital inpatients.
Surgical Experience
The BPEI Miami glaucoma fellowship class of 2021 performed an average of 72 GDDs, 15 trabeculectomies, 19 goniotomies/trabeculotomies, 15 micro-invasive glaucoma surgeries (MIGS) and 174 cataract surgeries. Similar numbers were recorded for the glaucoma fellowship classes of 2020 and 2019. Fellows performed a number of other glaucoma procedures, including transscleral and endoscopic cyclophotocoagulation, trabeculectomy and tube revision, choroidal drainage, pediatric exam under anesthesia, laser iridotomy, and selective laser trabeculoplasty.
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 surgical experience for fellows at BPEI is special in that it has a robust training in pediatric glaucoma surgery. In addition, there are many opportunities to participate in complex combined cases with our cornea and vitreoretinal colleagues.
Academics
Fellows benefit from an extraordinary didactic program including weekly Grand Rounds, weekly Glaucoma Journal Club, morning lectures, board review sessions, and imaging conferences. Wet labs are held regularly with tissue available from our in-house Florida Lions Eye Bank. Fellows also attend medical education conferences sponsored by BPEI and geared toward our global ophthalmology community.
The weekly Glaucoma Journal Club is a forum for lively discussion among faculty members and trainees on the topics of the latest ophthalmic innovations (pictured below).
Clinical research and publication are encouraged and supported as part of the fellowship experience. The glaucoma service has a long record of accomplishment of both clinical and laboratory research and we assist the fellows in arranging combinations of exposure to clinical care and research activities according to their career goals. The ophthalmology department is fortunate to have many resources available to support research endeavors including the support of a full time biostatistician to assist with data analysis. Each fellow does at least one project and is encouraged to present at a major national meeting during the year and is expected to present at the BPEI annual research symposium in June.
