Hybrid Pediatric Ophthalmology/Adult Strabismus and Comprehensive Ophthalmology Fellowship

Pediatric Ophthalmology and Adult Strabismus Overview

As a fellow, you’ll work closely with five pediatric ophthalmologists, with over 80 years of experience in patient care, in the Pediatric Eye Clinic of the UW and the American Family Children’s Hospital (AFCH), which fields more than 7,000 sub-specialty outpatient visits per year.

At our clinics, we see a wide variety of pediatric eye problems thanks to a high volume of referrals and consultations from our large Pediatric Department—a vibrant, clinical and research-centered department that includes all relevant subspecialties. We also have a wide national and international referral base for treating complex strabismus in children and adults. As a fellow, you will be involved in over 400 surgical cases, many as a primary surgeon, and you’ll participate in the evaluation and surgical management of retinopathy of prematurity, cataract, glaucoma, ptosis, and nasolacrimal procedures. And given our nationally and internationally recognized reputation for treating complex strabismus, our surgical procedures also include a wide variety of strabismus surgeries.

Our orthoptists are a highlight of our pediatrics training and the support we offer for fellows in our clinic. We have four orthoptists in our clinic at any point in time, more than any other clinic in the United States, and we boast a long tradition of working with our orthoptists as clinical partners who independently evaluate patients, collaborate in clinical research, and participate in educating residents and fellows.

As a fellow, you will initiate and complete an independent research project appropriate for presentation at a national meeting during your fellowship, and additional funds are available to further support you in pursuing educational and research engagement opportunities. You’ll participate in a regular didactic lecture program that includes a basic lecture science series, journal club, and presentation of research projects. As part of the fellowship, you’ll also gain additional expertise in the field of ophthalmic genetics through participation in a monthly inherited retinal degeneration clinic, and you’ll also have research opportunities in areas such as oculocutaneous albinism, myopia, primary congenital glaucoma, and human embryonic stem cells. Many of our fellows also choose to conduct research with other faculty within the Department and outside of Pediatrics.

Thanks to our national and international reputation in the research and treatment of complex strabismus, fellows have the opportunity to gain extensive, up close clinical and research experience in the field of strabismus.

Our staff has been involved in leading research in both clinical and basic science. You will work closely with Dr. Yasmin Bradfield (Fellowship Director), Dr. Alexander Miranda, and other clinicians and researchers leading the charge on strabismus treatment. We have a wide referral base, both nationally and internationally, for treating complex strabismus in children and adults, and our surgical procedures include a wide variety of strabismus surgeries.

Working closely with our other pediatric ophthalmologists, you’ll also gain knowledge and experience in other pediatric ophthalmology subspecialties—from Dr. Terri L. Young’s work on pediatric glaucoma and myopia, to Dr. Melanie Schmitt’s work on inherited retinal degenerations, to Dr. David Gamm’s work with stem cell therapies for pediatrics. You’ll also have the opportunity to consult with Professor Emeritus Burt Kushner, who has treated multiple generations of strabismus patients in his 40 years of clinical practice in Madison and has been actively involved in training fellows for over 45 years.

Comprehensive Component Overview

The comprehensive ophthalmology focus will be on providing both clinical and surgical care for adult patients. The time spent will be a combination of direct clinical care with faculty supervision, as well as direct surgical care in the operating room with five comprehensive service faculty.

The amount of time dedicated to the comprehensive aspect of the fellowship would be approximately 15%. The expectations of the fellow would be to work with our resident and medical student learners as appropriate, participate in our comprehensive journal club, grand rounds and provide call coverage consistent with other fellows in the Department. No additional research requirement will be expected but would be encouraged.

The faculty participating in the program have been selected due to their strong clinical and surgical skills, and interest in providing our clinical fellow with the opportunity to improve their comprehensive ophthalmology knowledge and maintain and refine their surgical skills with special emphasis on cataract surgery.

Global Ophthalmology

Clinical fellows with an interest in global ophthalmology will have the opportunity to participate in short-term local and global fieldwork as it pertains to their training. Funding is available to support fellows participating in these opportunities.  More information about the department’s Global Ophthalmology Initiatives (GOI) can be found here.