Fellowship Description:

We appreciate your interest in the Vitreo-Retinal Fellowship at the University of Virginia Medical Center.  The Fellowship Director is Brian P. Conway, M.D.  The fellowship runs for 12 months, but can be extended to 24 months for pursuit of research interests.

Teaching material for the fellowship consists primarily of private patients, supplemented by some clinic patients.  We feel the experience is well balanced between the medical and surgical aspects of vitreo-retinal disease.  Our service does approximately 300 cases a year for surgical vitreo-retinal problems, equally balanced between vitrectomy and scleral buckling procedures.  Approximately 1,000 fluorescein angiograms are performed each year in our photography unit for the evaluation of medical retinal problems.  We see approximately 50 patients each year with ocular tumors, primarily malignant melanoma.  A clinical electrophysiology laboratory is also available for the evaluation of patients with retinal dystrophy. Patients with retinoblastoma and with retinopathy of prematurity are managed in collaboration with our pediatric ophthalmologist, Dr. Bruce Carter.

As the year progresses, the fellow assumes a gradually increasing level of surgical responsibilities.  It is our intention that by graduation the fellow will be comfortable with any type of vitreo-retinal surgery.

The vitreo-retinal fellow sees all of the fluorescein angiograms and directs the weekly Fluorescein Conference during which all of the interesting cases seen in the Department over the previous week are reviewed.  This helps to ensure that the fellow reviews all interesting medical retinal problems.

In addition to reviews of our clinical material and reports of interesting cases, the academic and research interests of the service center on the use of animal models and tissue culture techniques to study the problems of proliferative vitreo-retinopathy and diabetic retinopathy, and on the use of computerized vitreous fluoro-photometry to assess the blood-retinal barrier and to follow the course of various ocular disease states.  The vitreo-retinal fellow is encouraged to participate in these studies or in any studies of his own initiation.

Although departmental funds are available for salary support, successful applicants are also urged to apply for outside support.

Benefits

For information concerning salaries, benefits, parking, meals, etc., please check the Housestaff Homepage.  The annual salary for the retina fellow will be the PGY-1 level.

Environment

Any training program is colored in part by the milieu of the surrounding academic center. The Medical Center at the University of Virginia lies adjacent to the central Grounds of Thomas Jefferson's original academical village. Charlottesville and Albemarle County attracts cultural and cosmopolitan functions out of proportion to its 100,000 population supplemented by the 17,000 members of the University campus. First class restaurants, museums and entertainment are available year round. Washington, D.C. is 120 miles away and there are excellent regular air connections to Washington, Charlotte, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Baltimore and Cincinnati. The countryside surrounding Charlottesville is particularly attractive with rolling hills, vineyards, horse and cattle farms all in the shadow of the Blue Ridge Mountains. The Skyline Drive, twenty miles from Charlottesville, and the Appalachian Trail provide some of the best hiking in the United States. A ski area is within an hour's drive, with night skiing available. Across the Blue Ridge Mountains, the vistas of the Shenandoah Valley and the rivers and mountains of West Virginia provide some of the best white water canoeing and rafting in the world. Medical students, hospital staff and faculty have a share in the stimulating and picturesque ambience of University life within Piedmont Virginia.

Summary

The fellowship is a well-preceptored, moderately high volume retina practice with a nice mix of primary and referral vitreo-retinal problems.