Message from the Chair & Program Director

David A. DiLoreto, Jr., M.D., Ph.D.

Professor & Chair of Ophthalmology

Rachel Wozniak, M.D., Ph.D.

Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology & Residency Program Director

Thank you for your interest in the ophthalmology residency at the University of Rochester, a fully accredited 4-year training program—with the your first-year internal medicine internship spent at the University of Rochester School of Medicine's Department of Internal Medicine. We have the pleasure of introducing ourselves to you as the Chairman of the Department of Ophthalmology at the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, and Director of the Flaum Eye Institute's residency program.

The Department of Ophthalmology at the University of Rochester continues to undergo many exciting changes that will dramatically enhance your residency training experience. The Flaum Eye Institute at the University of Rochester combines broad clinical experience with an increased emphasis on research and technology. With more than 40 full-time faculty – across all the subspecialties – we have outstanding scope and depth throughout our program.

Residents can expect numerous interactions with the Flaum Eye Institute's clinical and basic science faculty. In addition, residents may work with the basic science faculty of the University's internationally renowned Center for Visual Science (CVS), the top-rated Institute of Optics and Department of Biomedical Engineering, as well as industry and other programs at the University. For example, there are active collaborations related to new innovations in refractive surgery and retinal imaging at the cellular level. As a resident, you are encouraged to enrich your clinical training with participation in new as well as on-going clinical and basic research projects. You are also encouraged to present your research at national meetings such as ARVO and the American Academy of Ophthalmology; funds are provided to pay for travel expenses related to your presentation.

The surgical experience of the residency program is outstanding. You will learn a wide variety of techniques from a world class team of instructors in our state-of-the -art surgical suites at Strong Memorial Hospital. Training in intraocular surgery commences during the second year. All residents receive access to our surgical skills laboratory, featuring the Kitaro surgical simulation system. And, unlike many training programs that depend primarily on resident-to-resident teaching, the majority of our resident clinics are staffed by experienced full-time Flaum Eye Institute faculty, with faculty members attending all surgeries. In addition, opportunities to study international ophthalmology exist through a partnership with the world renowned L.V. Prasad Eye Institute in Hyderbad, India.

Our educational program emphasizes case management, complemented by numerous didactic sessions throughout the week. Friday afternoons are set aside for lectures by the faculty covering the curriculum of the Basic and Clinical Science Course. Weekly subspecialty and patient case rounds are held along with regularly scheduled fluorescein conferences. A visiting professorship series brings nationally recognized leaders in ophthalmology to lecture each year. Residents are also provided the opportunity to participate in nationally acclaimed didactic courses such the Harvard Cataract Course.

David A. DiLoreto, Jr., M.D., Ph.D.
Professor of Ophthalmology,
University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry
Flaum Eye Institute

Rachel. Wozniak, M.D., Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology,
University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry
Flaum Eye Institute