The Vitreoretinal Disease and Surgery Fellowship at the University of Alabama at Birmingham Heersink School of Medicine is a two-year clinical and surgical program within the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences. The fellowship provides comprehensive training in the medical and surgical management of diseases of the retina and vitreous under the direction of the Director of Vitreoretinal Diseases.
The program offers an intensive and broadly based clinical experience designed to prepare physicians for careers in academic medicine or high-level clinical practice. Fellows receive advanced training in all major diagnostic and therapeutic techniques in retinal and vitreous disease. Particular emphasis is placed on indirect ophthalmoscopy, fundus biomicroscopy, fluorescein and indocyanine green angiography, optical coherence tomography and ultrasonography.
Extensive clinical experience is provided at UAB Hospital-Callahan Eye, the Birmingham Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Children’s of Alabama and Cooper Green Mercy Health. Graduated surgical responsibility is a cornerstone of the program, with increasing experience in scleral buckling and vitrectomy surgery throughout both years of training.
In addition to clinical and surgical training, the fellow serves as an attending physician, supervising and teaching residents in the operating room and in retina-focused outpatient clinics. This role supports the department’s commitment to excellence in graduate medical education while further refining the fellow’s academic and leadership skills.
Retina Fellowship Application Information
Applications for the UAB Vitreoretinal Disease and Surgery Fellowship are due by September 1 of the year preceding the July 1 start date. The selected fellow will receive a faculty appointment as Clinical Instructor in the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences. Our fellows are paid at the PGY-5 and PGY-6 level. Detailed information about stipends and benefits is available on the Graduate Education website. Applications should be submitted through the SF Match's Central Application Service (CAS).
For more information, see our partners at Retina Consultants of Alabama and Retina Specialists of Alabama.
For additional questions or assistance, please contact our departmental program manager:
Jennifer Spears, MBA
jenniferspears@uabmc.edu
(205) 996-8660