Uveitis and Ocular Inflammatory Disease Fellowship

Overview

The goal of the one year AUPO FC-approved uveitis and ocular inflammatory disease fellowship at the Cole Eye Institute is to provide the best advanced training in the world for the management of medical and surgical aspects of uveitis and ocular inflammatory diseases. The program’s emphasis is on providing the highest quality clinical experience that allows fellows to become thoroughly familiar with all aspects of medical and surgical management of uveitis and ocular inflammatory diseases utilizing state-of-the-art imaging, local therapies, and systemic immunosuppression, combined with research to advance the diagnosis and management of uveitis.

The various Cole Eye Institute locations provide care for 350,000 outpatient eye visits a year. The fellowship is based at the Cole Eye Institute Main Campus but complex uveitis patients seen at our various locations are sent into our main campus for diagnosis and management as appropriate. The diverse patient population that seeks treatment here covers the range of the uveitis and ocular inflammatory diseases. While obviously the fellowship is focused on ophthalmic management of uveitis and ocular inflammatory diseases our fellows also spend time with an adult and a pediatric rheumatologist to become facile with the use, dosing, and management of systemic immunosuppression.

Fellows gain their clinical experience at Cole Eye Institute locations; but most time is spent at the main campus Cole Eye Institute building where not only outpatients but inpatient consults are also seen from the main campus hospital (highest case mix severity index in the country).

This intensive program of study includes the opportunity for fellows to perform common and advanced in office procedures (injections, lasers, diagnostic taps, and therapeutic injections) under the supervision of some of the world’s leading uveitis physicians, in one of the finest ophthalmological facilities in the world. Faculty members are committed to developing tomorrow’s leaders in this subspecialty and, therefore, ensure that fellows acquire world-class skills during their training here. Fellows are given the opportunity to play a central role in the care of patients and enjoy increased autonomy in the Fellow Clinic.

The fellowship includes a significant research component, reflecting the Cole Eye Institute’s underlying philosophy that synergy must exist between research and patient care. Fellows are expected to conduct clinical research and publish their results. Fellows also have the opportunity to participate in laboratory research at the Cole Eye Institute in the fields of cell biology, molecular biology, immunology, and other relevant disciplines and publish in peer-reviewed journals. Dedicated research time is incorporated into the schedule. The faculty can assist in developing research projects at both the basic and clinical levels.

Fellows also gain experience of teaching and giving didactic lectures to residents. During the time that residents rotate through the uveitis service, the fellows are available for consultation during the clinic. They also participate in the residency conference program and are responsible for presenting at the weekly uveitis case conference with the faculty in attendance.

Ultimately, the uveitis and ocular inflammatory disease fellowship at the Cole Eye Institute seeks to train future leaders in the field. Cole Eye Institute offers one uveitis and ocular inflammatory disease fellowship slot each year.

Staff

Fellowship Director

Sumit Sharma, MD

Staff

Teaching Faculty

Phoebe Lin, MD, PhD

Staff

Careen Lowder, MD, PhD

Staff

Danny Mammo, MD

Staff

Daniel Martin, MD

Institute Chair

Sunil Srivastava, MD

Staff

Clinical Experience

• Exposure to five different uveitis faculty
• Exposure to an adult and a pediatric rheumatologist built into schedule
• High quality support staff, dedicated clinic nurses
• Multiple lasers, injections, and other clinic procedures
• Multiple laser systems (Pascal, Iridex, Lumenis)
• Opportunity to teach residents to perform lasers and injections
• Outstanding imaging center conveniently located under clinic area with excellent staff
• Every SDOCT machine commercially available (eight different models)
• Multiple OCT-A devices
• Optos and Heidelberg wide-angle imaging
• Superb ultrasonographers who train fellows in B-scan techniques
• Lanes with direct access to imaging results (Zeiss Forum viewer)
• State-of-the-art EPIC electronic medical record with remote access to hospital databases
• Outstanding advanced imaging research programs
• OCT reading center

Salary, Rotations & Call Schedule

Salary & Benefit Information

• Paid at the PGY5 level
• Health, vision, dental benefits
• Discounted Cleveland Clinic health insurance for you, your spouse and your family
• Disability and life insurance included
• Medical license fees paid for by the Cleveland Clinic

Schedule/Rotation Information

• Spend ½-1 day per week with each staff member in clinics, ½ day per week for research and 1/2 day per week in adult rheumatology clinic.

Call Information

• Shared general Ophthalmology call

Conferences & Research

Conferences

• Weekly retina conference to discuss interesting cases
• Monthly fluorescein conference prepared by residents
• Journal clubs hosted at faculty homes or restaurants
• Uveitis Update Course, North Coast Retina Symposium, Cole Eye Imaging Summit (Pre-ASRS), Cole Retina Summit (Pre-ARVO), (AUS) American Uveitis Society
• No weekend lectures
• Periodic national courses hosted by Cole Eye Institute

Research Highlights

• Potential for scheduled research time
• Participation as co-investigator in multiple clinical trials
• $1500 allowance provided for national meetings, if presenting
• Strong basic and translational science research group onsite
• Database support to facilitate chart reviews
• Great electronic access to library resources. Receive rare journal articles delivered directly to your e-mail