Medical Retina

Fellowship Co-Directors

Dr. Radha Kohly, MD, PhD, FRCSC
Dr. Marko Popovic, MD, MPH, FRCSC

Preceptors

Dr. Brian Ballios, MD, PhD, FRCSC
Dr. Jason Noble, MD, FRCSC
Dr. Francesco Pichi, MD, FRCSC
Dr. Daniel Weisbrod, MD, FRCSC
Dr. Gary Yau, MD, MS, FRCSC

Contact Information

Jenny Yuan
Administrative Assistant
Dr. Radha Kohly, MD, PhD, FRCSC
Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre
M1-202A – 2075 Bayview Avenue
Toronto, ON M4N 3M5
Phone: 416-480-5607
Fax: 1-844-222-5670
Email: jenny.yuan@sunnybrook.ca

Locations

• Kensington Vision and Research Centre
• Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre
• St. Michael's Hospital, Unity Health Toronto
• Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University Health Network

Fellowship Objectives

· Develop advanced clinical expertise in the diagnosis and management of medical retinal diseases.
· Gain proficiency in the interpretation and application of multimodal retinal imaging.
· Acquire advanced procedural skills in retinal laser therapies and intravitreal pharmacologic treatments.
· Develop expertise in contemporary therapies for retinal vascular disease, inherited retinal disorders, ocular inflammatory disease, and other complex retinal conditions.
· Prepare fellows for academic careers through advanced subspecialty training, research, innovation, and scholarly activity.
· Foster excellence in resident and medical student education.
· Develop the skills necessary to become an independent clinician-investigator.

General Description

The Medical Retina Fellowship at the University of Toronto is designed to prepare ophthalmologists for careers as academic leaders in medical retina through advanced clinical training, multidisciplinary patient care, translational research, and innovation in retinal disease. The fellowship combines comprehensive exposure to complex retinal disorders with structured training in multimodal retinal imaging, contemporary therapeutics, clinical trials, and investigator-driven research across Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, St. Michael's Hospital, Unity Health Toronto, and Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University Health Network. Up to two fellowship positions will be offered each year.

Fellows gain experience in the diagnosis and longitudinal management of age-related macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, diabetic macular edema, retinal vascular occlusive disease, inherited retinal disorders, posterior uveitis, retinal manifestations of systemic disease, central serous chorioretinopathy, myopic degeneration, vitreomacular interface disorders, retinal toxicities, and ocular oncology. Fellows work closely with internationally recognized faculty while participating in multidisciplinary collaborations involving ophthalmologists, scientists, epidemiologists, and biostatisticians. Opportunities are available to participate in advanced retinal imaging, artificial intelligence, computational ophthalmology, translational science, clinical trials, and population-based research.

Fellows are expected to be on site Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Time not occupied by direct patient care should be devoted to scholarly activities including research, teaching, academic meetings, and professional development. Fellows receive protected research time integrated throughout the fellowship. Additional attendance outside regular working hours may be required for urgent patient care, clinical trials, educational activities, or research commitments. All absences must be approved in advance by the Fellowship Co-Directors. Fellows are expected to comply with the Personal Health Information Protection Act (PHIPA) and maintain the highest standards of professionalism and patient confidentiality.

Clinical Duties

Fellows participate in high-volume outpatient medical retina clinics and develop expertise in the evaluation, diagnosis, treatment, and longitudinal management of complex retinal disease.

Training includes interpretation of multimodal retinal imaging including OCT, swept-source OCT, OCT angiography, fundus autofluorescence, ultra-widefield fundus imaging, fluorescein angiography, indocyanine green angiography, and opportunities to gain exposure to emerging imaging technologies such as retinal oximetry.

Graduated procedural experience includes intravitreal anti-VEGF injections, corticosteroid injections and implants, panretinal photocoagulation, focal and grid laser photocoagulation, and laser retinopexy where appropriate. A talented fellow can expect to perform over 500 laser cases and over 1000 intravitreal injections in the fellowship year. Fellows follow patients longitudinally and progressively assume greater clinical responsibility throughout the fellowship.

Clinical exposure also includes ocular oncology through dedicated clinics at Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, providing experience in the diagnosis, multimodal imaging, and multidisciplinary management of intraocular tumors and retinal manifestations of systemic malignancy.

Research

Fellows receive protected research time integrated throughout the fellowship. Opportunities are available to participate in clinical, translational, imaging-based, epidemiologic, and innovation-focused research. Areas include retinal vascular disease, age-related macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, inherited retinal disease, ocular inflammatory disease, ocular oncology, quantitative retinal imaging biomarkers, artificial intelligence, computational ophthalmology, health services research, population health, multicentre clinical trials, therapeutic innovation, and retinal device evaluation.

Research opportunities may include advanced retinal imaging (OCT, OCTA, ultra-widefield fundus imaging, fundus autofluorescence, fluorescein angiography, indocyanine green angiography, retinal oximetry), imaging biomarker discovery, AI-assisted image analysis, predictive modelling, protocol development, research ethics, database design, statistical analysis, Good Clinical Practice, manuscript preparation, grant writing, and presentation at national and international meetings. It is expected that the clinical fellow will submit at least one publication to a peer reviewed journal.

Teaching

The Fellow is expected to actively participate in the education of residents, medical students, and visiting trainees through clinical supervision, teaching retinal imaging interpretation, procedural instruction, retina rounds, journal clubs, and formal educational seminars.

Academic Development

The fellowship is committed to developing future clinician-scientists through mentorship in scientific writing, study design, critical appraisal, grant and abstract preparation, systematic reviews, presentation skills, and academic leadership. Fellows participate in retina rounds, research conferences, interdisciplinary meetings, journal clubs, and departmental academic initiative

Vacation

Two weeks per year. Vacation must be approved in advance by the Fellowship Co-Directors.

Conference

Up to two weeks of conference leave may be granted with approval of the Fellowship Co-Directors. Fellows are encouraged to present their research at national and international scientific meetings.

Evaluation

Mid-year and end-of-year evaluations will provide feedback regarding clinical competence, procedural skills, professionalism, research productivity, teaching, and progress toward fellowship objectives.

Duration

One year. Fellowships run from July 1 through June 30.

Salary

$85, 564.01 CAD/year

Application Process

All applicants must register with the San Francisco Match (SF Match) Program and complete the Central Application Service (CAS) application for the Medical Retina Fellowship. Applications are available through the SF Match Ophthalmology Fellowship website: https://www.sfmatch.org/specialty/ophthalmology-fellowship/Overview

Fellowships begin on July 1 and are completed on June 30 of the following year. Applicants with a confirmed academic appointment upon completion of fellowship will be given priority. Decisions are generally made approximately six months before the fellowship start date. Applications are due by September 30 of the year preceding the July start date. Interviews are typically held in early November, with final decisions made by mid-December.

When applying through SF Match, applicants must provide:
• A copy of their medical school transcript
• Three letters of recommendation
• A personal statement
• A current curriculum vitae outlining educational experience, degrees obtained, research experience, publications, presentations, hobbies, and interests

Letters of recommendation should be written by attending physicians involved in the applicant's education. Applicants are not required to submit these letters directly. The SF Match Program will request referee contact information and provide each referee with instructions for secure submission.