Dr. Liu and her team

The Future of Glaucoma Care

Glaucoma Fellowship

Clinical and Surgical Training

Our 1-year clinical Glaucoma Fellowship provides extensive and well-balanced training in medical and surgical aspects of glaucoma, ranging from basic evaluation of glaucoma suspects to the most challenging pediatric,Fellow Emerson Kendall with Dr. Yao Liu uveitic, and keratoprosthesis-related glaucomas. Our fellows spend about 60 percent of their time in clinic (including a weekly, dedicated ½-day fellow clinic), about 25 percent in surgery, and about 15 percent as protected academic time.

Typical surgical volumes range from 90-100 glaucoma surgeries (e.g., trabeculectomies, Ahmed and Baerveldt tube shunts, transscleral/endoscopic/micropulse cyclophotocoagulation, XEN, GATT, iStent, and Kahook dual blade goniotomy) and 80-110 cataract surgeries as primary surgeon. Fellows also take 3 weeks of primary attending call and 3 weeks of back-up attending call.

Educational Conferences and Teaching

• Weekly departmental Grand Rounds
• Quarterly Glaucoma Journal Club
• Twice-yearly Wisconsin Glaucoma Society meeting to discuss complex cases with glaucoma sub-specialists from across the state
• Fellows are also welcome to attend the weekly on-call case review conference and the resident basic science lecture series to support their boards preparation
• Fellows have ample opportunity to participate in teaching residents and medical students

Research

There are a variety of opportunities for clinical and basic science research projects with mentorship from nationally-recognized clinical and research faculty in our department. We are ranked in the top 10 nationally for Glaucoma fellowship teamNational Institutes of Health (NIH)-funding among departments of ophthalmology and have access to departmental staff biostatistical support, as well as our clinical eye research unit (CERU) and the Wisconsin Reading Center (WRC). Fellows are provided with protected academic time to pursue research and participate in professional development opportunities. Previous fellows have participated in NIH-funded multicenter clinical trials (e.g., COAST), observational studies (e.g., CAREDS2), as well as trabecular meshwork gene therapy and optic nerve regeneration studies.

Salary and Benefits

We offer a competitive salary and benefits based on the PGY-5 scale, including offering health insurance coverage for family members.

Furthermore, the Glaucoma Fellowship Fund provides $1,000 to help cover travel costs to attend a professional conference (e.g., American Glaucoma Society Annual Meeting).

Environment

We are a highly collegial department situated on the main campus of a large, world-class university in the flourishing, mid-size city of Madison, Wisconsin. Madison is consistently included as one of the top-10 places to live in the U.S. (#1 in 2022 according to Livability.com) with its immensely rich range of year-round outdoor activities (i.e., biking, kayaking, cross-country skiing, etc.), thriving culinary scene, and vibrant cultural life. We offer an affordable and family-friendly lifestyle with safe, tree-lined neighborhoods, innumerable public parks, a 1,200-acre arboretum, 12-acre botanical garden, and 5 beautiful lakes.

Apply Online

The Basics

Director: Yao Liu, MD, MS
Preceptors: Yao Liu, MD, MS; Anna Momont, MD
Length of Fellowship: 1 Year
Number of Positions per Year: 1
Start Date: July 1
Application Deadline: September 1
Actively Involved in Resident Education: Yes
Research Required: Yes
Block Time Assigned to Research: Yes

From the Fellowship Director

Yao Liu, MD, MS


· Glaucoma Fellowship Director ·
· Glaucoma Service Chief ·
· Director of Teleophthalmology ·
· Associate Professor ·

Anna Momont, MD


· Residency Program Director ·
· Vice Chair of Resident Education ·
· Associate Professor ·

"I chose UW–Madison over other programs because I feel it gave me a great opportunity to receive excellent surgical training. But it also enabled me to be with people who are interested in my future and my future wellbeing."

2024 Glaucoma Fellow, Dr. Emerson Kendall

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Fellow Testimonials

Fellowship Alumni

Where Are They Now?

 

Glaucoma Graduates

Elleny Gutierrez, 2025 David Luellwitz, 2004
Emerson Kendall, 2024 Eric Steffen, 2002
Katy Coggins, 2023 John Kim, 2001
Michal Gutowski, 2022 Jessica Oliver, 2000
Margaret Powell, 2021 David Marshall, 1999
Colin McInnis, 2020 Daniel Taglia, 1998
Lisa Nguyen, 2019 Michael Vilardo, 1997
Nitasha Gupta, 2018 Curtis Libby, 1996
Aleksandra Michalik, 2017 David Kim, 1995
Cajal Patel (née Seth), 2016 John Geanon, 1994
Jonathan Skarie, 2015 U Fusun Cardakli, 1993
Nicholas Frame, 2014 Gregg Heatley, 1992
Christine Larsen, 2013 Barbara Smythe, 1991
Linda Semela, 2012 Gary Sterken, 1990
David Lee, 2011 Kathy Vogel, 1989
Christopher Kucharski, 2010 Harrison Bowes Jr., 1988
Samantha Perea, 2009 Joseph Feghali, 1986
Anthony Devincentis, 2008 Anthony Villanueva, 1983
Leo Wang, 2007 Robert Shields, 1981
Parham Morgan, 2006 Walter Bundy III, 1980
Kurt Schwiesow, 2005

An asterisk (*) indicates that the alum is deceased.

Contact Us

For more information about the fellowship program, please contact:

David Pillath
Graduate Medical Education (GME) Program Manager
dapillath@wisc.edu