• Research block at the start of the integrated intern year, spent within the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, where PGY1 interns meet our clinical and research faculty and spend time with their co and senior residents.
  • Includes a 2 week orientation with didactics, as well as hands-on training on use of the slit-lamp, how to perform indirect ophthalmoscopy, refractions, and much more.
  • Introduction to on-going research within the department and opportunity to initiate longitudinal research in projects of interest. Opportunity for completion of institution-specific CITI training.
  • OR and sub-specialty clinic shadowing and participation opportunities as well as introduction to and time spent within the resident run General Eye Clinic (GEC)
• 2 additional ophthalmology blocks, one on inpatient/ ER consults and another in the GEC, both with supervision by faculty and senior residents.
• Integrated PGY1 training with a focus on internal medicine, along with specialty rotations that align with ophthalmology (ex: Neurology, Rheumatology, Plastic Surgery, and ENT).

• 2 week orientation and introduction to basic ophthalmology in July
• Clinical:
  • Six 2-month clinical rotations to learn the basic techniques of diagnosis and medical management of various diseases
  • The majority of the year is spent in the General Eye Clinic, with one to two days a week spent on subspecialty services.
  • One 2-month rotation on neuro-ophthalmology
  • A consult rotation where residents encounter a great variety of ocular pathology
  • One 2-month rotation at the Jesse Brown VA Medical Center
• Surgical:
  • Procedure block to perform many procedures including chalazion excision, laser peripheral iridotomy, YAG capsulotomy, pterygium excision as well as extracapsular cataract surgery. Residents are also introduced to the steps of phacoemulsifcation and will perform individual steps throughout the year.

• Clinical:
  • In-depth exposure to the subspecialty clinics, spending 2 months in each of the following:
    • Cornea/Contact Lens
    • Glaucoma/Jesse Brown VA (including intraocular surgery skills)
    • Pediatric Ophthalmology (including surgery)
    • Retina/Uveitis/Hereditary Disease
    • Oculoplastics/Pathology
  • PGY3s take call at the Jesse Brown VA on an every other week basis
• Surgical:
  • Residents are heavily involved in subspecialty surgeries, including oculoplastic procedures, strabismus surgeries, glaucoma drainage implants, posterior segment lasers, and intravitreal injections. Residents will also complete a handful of phacoemulsification cataract extractions as primary surgeon.

• Clinical:
  • Senior residents essentially run their own comprehensive ophthalmology practice under the supervision of faculty, while helping to supervise the junior residents in the General Eye Clinic and the Jesse Brown VA.
  • One 2-month surgical rotation at the Captain James A. Lovell Federal Health Care Center
  • Backup call for both the PGY2 and PGY3 residents, which includes assisting in management of emergencies overnight, supervising bedside procedures, and performing open globe surgeries.
• Surgical:
  • The bulk of the surgical experience occurs in PGY4, where residents perform cases weekly with attending supervision and learn to manage challenging situations. PGY4 residents can also expect to have extensive experience with LenSx femtosecond assisted cataract surgery both at UIC and the VA systems, graduating with certification in the use of the laser.
• Research:
  • PGY4 residents are required to complete one project during their residency. This project is presented at the Alumni-Resident Day meeting at the end of the year.
  • PGY4 residents are encouraged to present their research projects at ARVO.
• Two PGY-4 residents are appointed each year to become chief residents. The chief residents are responsible for conducting morning report and BCSC review sessions for the PGY2 residents, serving as a liaison between the faculty/administration and the residents, as well as assisting in the general scheduling and function of the program.

Track Leads: Alison Doubleday, PhD & Pooja Bhat, MD

The RATe program aims to train residents to become better educators by formal instruction in medical teaching. The track focuses on a narrower range of topics/skills that residents can put into practice in the immediate future and demonstrate improvement over time.

This 10-week online program involves synchronous and asynchronous sessions with weekly reading assignments, group activities and check-ins. This course will be offered to residents of other subspecialties in Medicine at UIC, providing for enriching discussions and perspectives and allowing for interprofessional socialization. Sessions will be held in the latter half of PGY3 for ophthalmology, with opportunities for development of a portfolio in PGY4.

Track Leads: Thasarat Sutabutr Vajaranant, MD, MHA & Ahmad Aref, MD, MBA

The Physician Resident Executive Program (PREP) is a career track designed to prepare residents to become well-rounded physician executives. The curriculum is focused on developing executive skills and knowledge essential to addressing the multifaceted leadership challenges in the complex health care system.

At the track’s completion, residents are required to present a capstone project related to quality improvement in ophthalmology service. Residents will have access to core faculty and advisors throughout the program for guidance and support in their chosen project.

Track Lead: Pete Setabutr, MD

The Illinois Eye and Ear Infirmary is dedicated to addressing the visual needs of people throughout the world. To support this goal, we developed a program that prepares graduates to perform in a variety of settings both here and abroad. The Global Ophthalmology track is structured to help prepare residents who wish to incorporate Global Ophthalmology into their careers.

During their residency, track participants will enroll in and complete the Global Health Graduate Education Program, participate in a mentored Global Ophthalmology research project, and complete an intensive surgical training course in minimally invasive cataract surgery. There are multiple opportunities to participate in and attend courses, programs, and lectures that focus on global health.

Track Lead: Robert Hyde, MD, PhD

The research track is intended for residents whose long-term career plan is to become a practicing clinician-scientist. While all residents are expected to engage in meaningful research throughout their training at UIC, those on the research track will give attention to the skills needed to excel in an academic career focused on original research in the basic, translational, or clinical sciences.

In addition to facilitating longitudinal research opportunities in the resident’s area of interest, the aims of the research track include: training in the principles of biomedical research; communication of results through publication in peer-reviewed journals; participation in local, national and/or international conferences; and understanding the process of obtaining extramural research support.

The core of the research track is the mentored research project. Residents will identify a research mentor with the assistance of the research track faculty and develop a timeline and plan for longitudinal research over the duration of their residency, including the expectations and deadlines for attendance at conferences, as well as submission of grant applications for independent funding/support. Structured evaluations with the research mentor – quarterly during PGY2 and biannually during PGY3 and PGY4 – will ensure that residents are provided the resources needed to accomplish their goals. It is expected that residents on the track will attend ARVO, AAO, subspecialty conferences (e.g. Retina Society, AGS, NANOS) and are encouraged to apply for the Heed Fellowship Retreat. Residents will also attend a grant-writing workshop.

Residents spend the majority of their PGY2 and PGY4 years in the General Eye Clinic, learning to become proficient and efficient comprehensive ophthalmologists. Headed by the two chief residents, the clinic is fully resident-run, with residents taking primary responsibility for the examination and management of all patients. The clinic also functions as the only immediate care eye emergency clinic in the city of Chicago, exposing residents to a huge breadth of medical and surgical pathology in all subspecialties. PGY2 residents are given graduated responsibility with oversight and mentorship by PGY4 residents. The clinic is supervised by faculty members from the different clinical subspecialties, and all patients are seen and discussed with an attending ophthalmologist.

Additionally, two PGY-4 residents are appointed each year to become chief residents. The chief residents are responsible for conducting morning report and BCSC review sessions for the first year residents, serving as a liaison between the faculty/administration and the residents, as well as assisting in the general scheduling and function of the program.

The Department’s state-of-the-art surgical simulation laboratory features 10 fully equipped practice stations with Zeiss operating microscopes and phaco machines for practicing cataract and retinal surgery. Video recording and editing capabilities are available to help residents improve surgical skills. Every resident is given a personal set of surgical instruments for use in the wetlab. An EyeSi simulator is also available for practicing cataract and vitrectomy surgery.

In addition to individually directed wetlab practice sessions, several industry and department supported wetlabs are organized on a yearly basis and led by subspecialty faculty to build proficiency with specific surgical skills, ranging from strabismus surgery to glaucoma shunt implantation to cataract surgery. A bi-yearly head dissection course is led by the oculoplastics team to practice lid laceration repair, tarsal strip procedures, and evisceration surgery.

The Millennium Park Eye Center features state-of-the-art diagnostic and surgical equipment for the treatment of eye diseases.  Residents travel to this location on subspecialty rotations during their PGY2 and PGY3 years to participate in clinics, minor OR, and surgical procedures. The majority of exposure to refractive surgery during residency, including LASIK and PRK, occurs at this location.

The Illinois Eye and Ear Infirmary has a long and proud history of training skilled ophthalmic surgeons. With 1 dedicated eye OR at the University Hospital, 4 ORs in the Specialty Care Building, and an eye OR at both the Jesse Brown and North Chicago VA systems, residents spend a significant portion of their training in the OR in order to further improve their surgical skills.

Surgical exposure begins early and gradually increases throughout residency training. Residents can also expect to be involved in a wide variety of surgical trauma cases, as UIC serves as the major referral center and Level 1 eye trauma center for the Greater Chicago Area. PGY4 residents perform all primary open globe repairs under the supervision of a fellow.

Strong didactics are integrated into the training program throughout all years of residency. Attendings from all subspecialties give morning lectures in ophthalmology and basic science to all residents and medical students. Chief residents hold a morning report for PGY2 residents three times a week. In addition to lectures, we have weekly Grand Rounds on Wednesday afternoons. Residents present interesting cases during Grand Rounds and outside speakers are invited often. The Chicago Curriculum of Ophthalmology (CCO) has Saturday morning lectures from September to March, in which all Chicago residents are exposed to the top local ophthalmologists.  Our residents have the unique opportunity to gain valuable knowledge while attending the week-long Illinois Eye Review in February and multiple subspecialty CME courses throughout the year. We also provide a yearly mock OKAP and mock oral board exam to help our residents prepare for the ABO written and oral board exams.

Our residents attend many conferences and meetings held in Chicago including those held by the Chicago Ophthalmological Society (COS) and Illinois Society of Eye Physicians and Surgeons (ISEPS). Residents are also given academic time and financial resources to present at conferences. Many of our residents present at ARVO and AAO.