Medical Retina

Supervisors

• Dr. Nupura Bakshi, Fellowship Director
• Dr. Michael Brent
• Dr. Brian Ballios
• Dr. Larissa Derzko-Dzulynsky
• Dr. Alex Kaplan
• Dr. Peng Yan

Contact Information

Dr. Nupura Bakshi
Tel: 416-867-3734
Fax: 416-867-3672

Fellowship Administrator Contact Information

Becca Downey
Tel: 416-867-3734    Fax: 416-867-3672
Email: becca.downey@unityhealth.to

Locations

• UHN - Toronto Western Hospital
• UHN - Princess Margaret Hospital
• Mount Sinai Hospital
• Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre
• St. Michael's Hospital
• Kensington Vision & Research Centre

The Medical Retina Fellow is expected to be on premises at a minimum of Monday to Friday, 8:00a.m. to 5:00 p.m. regardless of clinical activities. It is expected that time not occupied by patient responsibilities will be used to further academic pursuits such as research and teaching. All absences during the week must be cleared well in advance.

Fellowship Objectives

1. To gain exposure to medical diseases of the retina and vitreous.
2. To prepare the Fellow for an academic career with subspecialty training in medical diseases of the Retina and Vitreous.
3. To enhance teaching skills through mentoring residents and medical students.
4. To perform clinical and basic research related to retinal disease.

General Description

Up to two Fellowship positions will be offered each year. The fellowship offered is intended to prepare a candidate for an academic career in ophthalmology. This would include skill acquisition in order to be considered a subspecialist in the field of medical diseases of the Retina and Vitreous as well as involvement in basic and clinical research in retina related diseases.

Clinical Duties

The fellowship consists of a mix of clinical and research training. Approximately 80% of time is spent in clinical activities. Fellows will divide their clinical time into rotations between Toronto Western Hospital, Mount Sinai Hospital, Sunnybrook Hospital, Kensington Vision & Research Centre, and Princess Margaret Hospital. Clinical emphasis will be on the assessment and management of Macular Degenerative Disease, Diabetic Retinopathy, Vascular Occlusive Disease, Retinopathy of Pre-maturity, Uveitis, Oculogenetics, and posterior segment Ocular Oncology.

Clinical duties include assessment of referred subspecialty patients in a clinic/office setting with direct involvement in diagnosis and management of those patients. Duties also include screening ROP in the NICU, and potentially treating threshold disease. The candidate would be responsible for assessing and reporting fluorescein angiograms, optical coherence tomograms (OCT), OCT Angiography, and B-scan ultrasounds. Laser surgery and intravitreal injections will be allocated in a graded fashion of responsibility. A talented Fellow can expect to do 500 laser cases and more than 1000 intravitreal injections in one year. The medical retina Fellow will attend the Ocular Oncology clinic at Princess Margaret Hospital one day per week for 3 months, to become proficient in the diagnosis and management of primary and secondary tumors affecting the retina and choroid. Throughout the year, a portion of clinic time will also be dedicated to Oculogenetics, Uveitis, and electrophysiology. 

Research

Approximately 20% of the Fellow's time will be protected for retina related research. The Fellow will be expected to conduct original basic and/or clinical research, with results to be presented at the annual Department Research Day, as well as at a national or international meeting. It is expected that the research findings will be submitted for publication in a peer reviewed journal.

Teaching

The Fellow will be expected to enhance resident and medical student teaching. This would include encouraging resident involvement in interesting cases in the clinic/office, as well as didactic teaching and involvement in journal club. The Fellow is expected to prepare at least two complete lectures to be given in small group seminars to the residents during the year. Presentation of interesting cases at grand rounds is also expected. Over the course of the year, the Fellow will be exposed to a wide variety of medical retina, uveitis, oculogenetics, and ocular oncology cases, giving him or her adequate preparation for an academic subspecialty career.

Vacation

2 weeks’ vacation per year.

Conference

Up to 2 weeks of conference time may be taken on approval of the Supervisors. Financial support for travel and lodging expenses will be provided if the Fellow is presenting at the conference.

Evaluation

An evaluation after 2 months of the fellowship will be held to determine performance. A mid-term and final evaluation will be held with the fellow to evaluate his or her performance. Fellows are encouraged to provide feedback and express their comments on how their fellowship is progressing.

Duration

1 year.

Salary

$55,000 CAD/year

Application Process

All applicants must register with the San Francisco Match Program and complete the CAS application form for our program. Applications are available through this link: https://www.sfmatch.org/specialty/ophthalmology-fellowship/Overview

Fellowships begin on July 1st and are completed on June 30th the following year. Applicants with a confirmed academic appointment upon completion of Fellowship will be given priority. Generally, decisions are made approximately 6 months prior to the start date. Applications are due by September 30th of the year prior to beginning the fellowship in July. Interviews are usually granted in early November with a decision usually made by mid-December. 

The following data will be required when you apply:

• A copy of your medical school transcript
• Three letters of recommendation
• A personal statement letter
• A current CV stating, but not limited to, your educational experience, degrees obtained, research experience, publications, presentations, hobbies and interests.

Your letters of recommendation must be written by either associate colleagues or attending staff involved in your education. The SF Match Program will allow you to provide the contact information for these recommendations and a link will be sent for them to complete. You are not required to provide the letters directly.