Residency Program

The George Washington University Ophthalmology Residency is a three-year program that admits four residents each July. The parent and sponsoring institution is The George Washington University, located in Foggy Bottom at the heart of the nation's capital. Participating institutions include: Children's National Medical Center, Armed Forces Institute of Pathology, VA Medical Center of Martinsburg, WV, and VA Medical Center of Washington, DC.

 

The program provides comprehensive and diverse education in ophthalmology, with an emphasis on both didactic and surgical training, beginning in the first year. The clinical experience is supplemented by training to evaluate, recognize, and apply clinical investigations and basic research to daily practice. Research is encouraged and residents are supported in presenting at national and international meetings. We are one of the only programs in the country to offer an experience in international ophthalmology as part of the residency curriculum. In addition, we are one of the few residency programs in the country with the EYESI® Ophthalmosurgical Simulator, providing our residents and medical students with the most advanced technology in surgical training.

 

In the first year, residents spend the first month in the Basic Science Ophthalmology Course, which is a series of lectures and workshops for all residents in the Washington, DC area, designed to introduce each physician to the field of Ophthalmology. Thereafter, each first-year resident will spend most of the year at GW in six-week clinical rotations covering Comprehensive Ophthalmology, Cornea, Glaucoma, Neuro-Ophthalmology, and Retina. Towards the second half of the year, first-year residents will perform a six-week rotation at the VA Medical Center of Martinsburg, WV, where they will have the opportunity to perform cataract surgery as the primary surgeon. On average, residents perform 5-8 cataract surgeries in their first year of training.

 

In the second year, residents will have the opportunity for self-study at the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology (AFIP), where they review pathology slides and observe gross dissection under supervision of the ocular pathologist. Second-year residents will also participate in the one-week annual AFIP course, which draws residents and ophthalmologists from across the country. In the first half of second year, residents will return on a six-week rotation at the VA Medical Center of Martinsburg, WV, where they will have additional opportunity to perform cataract surgery. During the remainder of the year, residents will perform twelve-week rotations in Oculoplastics and Retina while at GW. In addition, a twelve-week rotation in Pediatric Ophthalmology at Children's National Medical Center will provide opportunity to perform strabismus surgery and to a see a wide variety of pediatric eye conditions.

 

In the third year, each resident will rotate as the Chief Resident, allowing each individual to assume leadership and administrative responsibilities beneficial for future practice. Senior residents will perform twelve-week rotations at GW in Anterior Segment and Oculoplastics, where they will operate as the primary surgeon. In addition, twelve-week rotations at the VA Medical Centers of Martinsburg, WV and Washington, DC provide a broad depth of clinical and surgical experience. The third-year resident can expect to perform over 100 cataract surgeries in this year alone. The hallmark of this year is the one-week international surgical expedition. Each resident , Along with one attending, travels to places like Guatemala, Panama, Honduras, and the Philippines to learn new surgical techniques and to provide medical and surgical services to those with limited access to care.

 

In summary, The George Washington University Ophthalmology Residency Program provides comprehensive, diverse, and innovative training that prepares its residents for fellowship or practice. For more information, please contact the Residency Coordnator, Ms. Getachew by phone at 202-741-2825 or email at sgetachew@mfa.gwu.edu. To apply to our program, please visit the SF Match website at: www.sfmatch.org.

PLEASE NOTE: Seriously interested individuals should submit a brief statement (one page or less) indicating your interest in our program.

2007 Graduates
Glaucoma at Emory
Retina at University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
Pediatrics at Children's Hospital of Los Angeles
Pediatrics at Children's National Med Ctr

2006 Graduates
Cornea at Emory
Retina at University of Alabama
Retina at USC Doheny
1 Private Practice

2005 Graduates
Cornea at Jules Stein/UCLA
Glaucoma at the Proctor Foundation/UCSF
Cornea at Tufts
Retina at Baylor

2004 Graduates
Pediatric Ophthalmology at Northwestern
Glaucoma at University of Maryland
Uvietis/Medical Retina-NEI
2 Private Practice

2003 Graduates :
Glaucoma @UCSF
Glaucoma @ University Florida
Retina @ UAB

2002 Graduates
1 private practice
Pediatrics @ Boston Children*s Hospital
Cornea @ Wills Eye Hospital
Retina @ Retina Group of Washington