ABOUT THE FELLOWSHIP
The University of Wisconsin Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences offers a two-year fellowship program that provides a balanced and extensive educational experience in both the medical and surgical aspects of retinal disease. We have an equal blend of primary and tertiary referral retinal disease. The following areas are included in the surgical training program: vitreoretinal surgery, primary and complex retinal detachment repair, scleral buckling, management of complications of anterior segment surgery, trauma management.
The fellowship includes care of uveitis, ocular tumors, and pediatric retina. In the clinic setting, fellows act as mentors to our residents and medical students. They will learn and teach examination techniques, photocoagulation, and retinal imaging including retinal angiography ultrasonography, optical coherence tomography and angiography, and interpretation of electrophysiology. Fellows participate as investigators in clinical trials and will conduct collaborative research with our faculty. Educational activities include leading weekly Retina Case conference, and participating in imaging conference, journal clubs, and Grand Rounds.
THE BASICS
Director | Michael M. Altaweel, MD |
Associate Director | Jonathan S. Chang, MD |
Parent Department or Academic Unit | University of Wisconsin Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences |
Address | 2870 University Avenue, Suite 206
Madison, WI 53705-3611 |
Telephone | (608) 263-6429 |
Preceptors | Michael M. Altaweel, MD |
Emeritus Faculty | Suresh R. Chandra, MD |
Primary Clinical Training Site: | University Station Clinics
2880 University Avenue Madison, WI 53705-3631 |
Length of Fellowship | 2 Years |
Numbers of positions/year | 1 position per year for a two year term |
Starting Date | July 1 |
Application Deadline: | September 1 |
Actively Involved in Resident Education | Yes |
Research Required | Yes |
Block Time assigned to Research | Yes |
Hear what our PEOPLE say.
Program Director, Michael M. Altaweel, MD:
2020-2022 Fellow, Ben Fowler, MD, PhD:
2020-2022 Fellow, Gordon Crabtree, MD:
2019-2021 Fellow, Joseph Raevis, MD:
2018-2020 Fellow, Kathleen Regan, MD:
2017-2019 Fellow, Zackery Oakey, MD:
MORE From the Fellows:
The University of Wisconsin has been a historical leader in the field of vitreoretinal disease and continues to offer fellows a distinctive education in a warm and welcoming environment. Since the 1970s the division has produced some of the most compelling research in the field to date, including the Diabetic Retinopathy Study (DRS), Beaver Dam Eye Study (BDES), Wisconsin Epidemiologic Study of Diabetic Retinopathy (WESDR), and was a major player in the Age-Related Eye Disease Study (AREDS). Madison, WI was the city in which Collaborative Ocular Melanoma Study (COMS) pathology was reviewed and radiation doses were determined. Much of this work was completed in the world famous Wisconsin Fundus Photograph Reading Center (FPRC), one of only several still operating in a public institution. That legacy is carried today in even small elements of retinal medicine such as the macular grid produced by the Wisconsin Age-Related Maculopathy Grading System that is present in every OCT image in the world. While these things may go un-noticed in the background of every retina clinic, they speak to the ongoing and living contribution of the University of Wisconsin. Open any text book regarding the field of vitreoretinal disease, its basic epidemiology, therapy, and pathophysiology, and you will find “Wisconsin” somewhere in the citation section.
Today the program offers its fellows unparalleled exposure to electroretinography (ERG), inherited retinal disease, oncology, and pediatric vitreoretinal surgery in addition to the basic practices of vitreoretinal surgeons. Every week the first year fellow reviews ERG cases with an attending and basic researchers to discuss results and implications. The fellow then compiles the results of the test and dictates the results to referring providers. In many cases, the fellow sees the patient in clinic with the suspected disease, orders and reviews the ERG data, prepares the report, and finally sees the patient in clinic to discuss the findings with an attending and the patient. These visits commonly result in genetics testing. Fellows are uniquely converted to experts in ERG and genetics.
Oncology training in Wisconsin provides a degree of comfort and understanding of tumors and masses of the posterior segment above referral. The University of Wisconsin is the final place for oncology and tumor care in Wisconsin and many parts of Iowa, Illinois, and Michigan. The vitreoretinal fellow plays a key role by both personally performing in-clinic procedures such as Photodynamic Therapy (PDT) and Transpupillary Thermotherapy (TTT) as well as plaque radiotherapy and vitrectomy in the operating room. We do not have an oncology program in which these patients are referred outside the division. The fellow is trained to care for the full compliment of oncology including its secondary sequelae such as radiation retinopathy, monitoring of metastases, and co-management with oncologists.
The University of Wisconsin is the home of a historically impressive retina division that offers fellows unrivaled exposure to diseases in an inviting cultural milieu that fosters creativity and inclusion.
COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH WITH FACULTY:
Example of Faculty and Fellow Research: Dr. Michael Altaweel, Fellowship Director and Dr. Paul Boeke, 2015-2017 Vitreoretinal Fellow
Oil Technique ASRS 2019
Meet the Retina Service Team
Michael M. Altaweel, MD
Professor, Vitreoretinal Surgery Fellowship Director
Barbara A. Blodi, MD
Matthew D. Davis Professor, Wisconsin Reading Center Medical Director
Jonathan S. Chang, MD
Associate Professor; Vitreoretinal Surgery Fellowship Assistant Director
Roomasa Channa, MD
Assistant Professor
Justin L. Gottlieb, MD
Professor, Retina Service Chief
Mihai Mititelu, MD, MPH
Associate Professor, Clinical Eye Research Unit Medical Director
Kathleen R. Schildroth, MD
Assistant Professor
Kimberly E. Stepien, MD
Professor, Co-Vice Chair of Clinical Affairs, John W. and Helen Doolittle Professor
OUR ALUMNI
The year listed is when the 2-year fellowship was completed.
- Pik Sha Chan – 1998
- Michael Altaweel – 2000
- Lars Freisberg – 2002
- Charles Hejny – 2004
- Matt Reed – 2006
- David Johnson – 2008
- Jonathan Gunther – 2009
- Peter Youseff – 2010
- Drew Dixon – 2011
- Andrew Hendrick – 2012
- Amol Kulkarni – 2013
- James Eadie – 2014
- Eric Brinton – 2015
- Patrick Sassini – 2016
- Paul Boeke – 2017
- Michael Possin – 2018
- Zackery Oakey – 2019
- Kathleen Schildroth (Regan) – 2020
- Joseph Raevis – 2021
- Gordon Crabtree – 2022
UW Health University Station Clinic
Address: 2880 University Ave. Madison, WI 53705
Phone: (608) 263-7171 / (800) 323-8942
FHN Memorial Hospital
Address: 1045 W Stephenson St, Freeport, IL 61032
Phone: (877) 600-0346
UW Health Deming Way Eye Clinic
Address: 2349 Deming Way, Suite 200, Middleton, WI 53562
Phone: (608) 824-3937
UW Health E Terrace Drive Medical Center
Address: 5249 E Terrace Dr, Madison, WI 53718
Phone: (608) 265-1270
UW Health Eye Clinic – Rockford
Address: 7019 Rote Rd, Rockford, IL 61107
Phone: (815) 399-1141
UW Health Specialty Clinic – Mauston
Address: 1040 Division St, Mauston, WI 53948
Phone: (608) 847-7355
American Family Children’s Hospital
Address: 1675 Highland Ave., Madison, WI 53792
Phone: (608) 890-5437
University Hospital
Address: 600 Highland Ave., Madison, WI 53792
Phone: (608) 263-6400
Fax: (608) 263-6401
Madison Surgery Center
UW Health University Station Clinic
Address: 2880 University Ave. Madison, WI 53705
Phone: (608) 263-7171 / (800) 323-8942
UW Health Deming Way Eye Clinic
Address: 2349 Deming Way, Suite 200, Middleton, WI 53562
Phone: (608) 824-3937
UW Health E Terrace Drive Medical Center
Address: 5249 E Terrace Dr, Madison, WI 53718
Phone: (608) 265-1270
UW Health Specialty Clinic – Mauston
Address: 1040 Division St, Mauston, WI 53948
Phone: (608) 847-7355
UW Health Specialty Clinic – Sauk Prairie
Address: 250 26th St #120, Prairie Du Sac, WI 53578
Phone: (608) 643-6060
UW Health University Station Clinic
Address: 2880 University Ave. Madison, WI 53705
Phone: (608) 263-7171 / (800) 323-8942
FHN Memorial Hospital
Address: 1045 W Stephenson St, Freeport, IL 61032
Phone: (877) 600-0346
UW Health Deming Way Eye Clinic
Address: 2349 Deming Way, Suite 200, Middleton, WI 53562
Phone: (608) 824-3937
UW Health E Terrace Drive Medical Center
Address: 5249 E Terrace Dr, Madison, WI 53718
Phone: (608) 265-1270
UW Health Eye Clinic – Rockford
Address: 7019 Rote Rd, Rockford, IL 61107
Phone: (815) 399-1141
UW Health Specialty Clinic – Mauston
Address: 1040 Division St, Mauston, WI 53948
Phone: (608) 847-7355
UW Health Specialty Clinic – Sauk Prairie
Address: 250 26th St #120, Prairie Du Sac, WI 53578
Phone: (608) 643-6060
American Family Children’s Hospital
Address: 1675 Highland Ave., Madison, WI 53792
Phone: (608) 890-5437
Veterans Affairs Hospital
Unity-Point Health Meriter Hospital
Madison Surgery Center
Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences
Address: 2828 Marshall Ct, Suite 200 Madison, WI 53705
UW Health University Station Clinic
Address: 2880 University Ave. Madison, WI 53705
Phone: (608) 263-7171 / (800) 323-8942
UW Health Deming Way Eye Clinic
Address: 2349 Deming Way, Suite 200, Middleton, WI 53562
Phone: (608) 824-3937
UW Health E Terrace Drive Medical Center
Address: 5249 E Terrace Dr, Madison, WI 53718
Phone: (608) 265-1270
UW Health University Station Clinic
Address: 2880 University Ave. Madison, WI 53705
Phone: (608) 263-7171 / (800) 323-8942
UW Health E Terrace Drive Medical Center
Address: 5249 E Terrace Dr, Madison, WI 53718
Phone: (608) 265-1270
American Family Children’s Hospital
Address: 1675 Highland Ave., Madison, WI 53792
Phone: (608) 890-5437
UW Health University Station Clinic
Address: 2880 University Ave. Madison, WI 53705
Phone: (608) 263-7171 / (800) 323-8942
Clinical Science Center
Address: UW Hospital and Clinics, 600 Highland Ave
Wisconsin Reading Center
Address: 310 N Midvale Blvd, Suite 205, Madison, WI 53705
Phone: 608-262-1334
Medical Sciences Center
Address: 1300 University Ave, Madison, WI 53706
UW Eye Pathology Lab
Michele Kempfer, Lab Manager
Address: 600 Highland Avenue, F4/378, Madison, WI 53792-3220
Phone: (608) 262-9092
Fax: (608) 263-0543
Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation
Address: 614 Walnut St, Madison, WI 53726
Phone: (608) 263-2500
Wisconsin Institute for Medical Research
Address: 1111 Highland Ave, Madison, WI 53705
Phone: (608) 265-8731
Veterans Affairs Hospital
Madison Surgery Center