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Fellowship Offerings

Fellowship in Diseases of the Retina and Vitreous

The Eye Institute at WVU offers a two-year combined medical and surgical fellowship training in vitreo-retinal diseases. The fellowship program begins on July 1 of each year and accepts one fellow per year.

The Eye Institute is a university-based practice that provides comprehensive clinical care for management of complex diseases and access to various clinical trials as a major referral center. The Retina Division treats over 7000 patients each year from the entire state of West Virginia as well as the surrounding three states.

Clinical Training

The fellowship provides a structured clinical training in the management of vitreoretinal and uveitic diseases. The program also offers participation in screening and treating infants for ROP at the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. Fellows are trained to interpret various diagnostic imaging techniques including fluorescein angiography, ICG angiography, optical coherence tomography, ultrasonography, and electrophysiology.

During the fellowship, the fellows are trained to perform various office procedures including panretinal photocoagulation, focal/grid laser treatment of the macula, laser retinopexy or cryopexy for retinal tears, pneumatic retinopexy, photodynamic therapy, intravitreas and subtenon injection of pharmaceutical agents. Surgical training emphasizes the importance of decision making as to the timing and techniques of surgical procedures. The fellows will spend approximately 2.5 days in the operating room with three faculty surgeons, performing approximately 400 retinal surgical procedures each year, including scleral buckles, small or mixed gauge vitrectomies, insertion of intraocular pharmaceutical implants, and rehabilitation of traumatized globes.
The fellows are encouraged to supervise and teach WVU Ophthalmology residents and medical students in clinics.
In addition there is limited, but structured exposure to VR practice in private practice setting.

Research Training

The program incorporates protected time to allow the fellows to engage in academic activities and learn the fundamentals of clinical trial research through active participation in ongoing trials. The Eye Institute also has NIH/NEI-funded investigators working on retinal diseases, providing the fellows with the opportunity to participate in laboratory research. The fellows are expected to participate in clinical or laboratory scientific research in areas of interest and to present their research projects at the Department's annual spring conference. Fellows are also encouraged to present their research projects at national or international meetings.
International ophthalmology exposure is available in at least three continents.

Formal teaching activities are held weekly, monthly and quarterly and include grand rounds, lectures and seminars, imaging conferences (FA, ICG, OCT, and US), journal clubs and clinical trials update.
It is the intension of our program that by the time the fellow graduates, he/she would be very competent in all the clinical and academic areas mentioned above and ready for both academic and/or private practice.

Facilities/Surgical Opportunities

Patient care facilities include the WVU Eye Institute, as well as an ambulatory surgery unit and an inpatient surgical unit, both housed at WVU Hospitals/Ruby Memorial Hospital. The Eye Institute houses 38 examination rooms, a state-of-the-art minor procedure room, and four lasers, including two Argon, one YAG, and one excimer laser. Diagnostic capabilities include ultrasound, digital ophthalmic photography, high resolution OCT, and state of the art electrophysiological assessment unit.

Retinal surgery is performed in the inpatient surgical suite of Ruby Memorial Hospital, while most other eye surgery is done in the Ambulatory Surgery Center. All operating rooms contain Zeiss or Leica microscopes with video taping systems and the Alcon Constellation Vision System. Approximately 350-375 major retinal surgical procedures are performed each year, as well as numerous laser photocoagulation and pneumatic retinopexy procedures.

To apply for a Retina Fellowship contact the CAS match at San Francisco Match.

Clinical Faculty

Monique Leys, MD

Gary James Miller, MD

Current Retina Fellows

Andrew Cheek, MD

For More Information Contact:

Director, Retina and Vitreous Disease Service
Department of Ophthalmology
Robert C. Byrd Health Sciences Center of West Virginia University
PO Box 9193
Morgantown, WV 26506-9193

Oculoplastics Fellowship

West Virginia University is proud to have one of the few ophthalmic plastic surgery fellowships in the United States. This fellowship is a two year program, fully accredited by the ACGME, and sponsored by ASOPRS. The West Virginia University Eye Institute is the only tertiary eye center in West Virginia and draws patients from around the state and the surrounding areas. This comprehensive service package and geographical catchment area provide a great range of pathology, allowing an excellent educational experience.

In addition to a well-rounded experience, one of the strengths of this fellowship is the emphasis on disease and surgery of the orbit. This is exemplified by the multidisciplinary skull base work and the thyroid eye clinic. During your tenure you will be a part of the WVU skull base team and participate in all aspects of clinical evaluation, preparation, surgery, and follow-up. In all aspects of this training the fellow is expected to learn, implement, and exemplify the core competencies set forth by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education.

As you progress through fellowship, you will gain knowledge and be given increasing responsibility. You will be expected to be able to function independently as a general ophthalmologist. To this end you will be permitted to take call as part of internal moonlighting in the faculty call schedule. You are to be available to the residents on call.

The Eye Institute has an extensive didactic series in which the fellow participates. The fellow is expected to attend every lecture given by the fellowship faculty, lectures on ethics, billing, and practice management, and Grand Rounds. The fellow presents Multidisciplinary Grand Rounds 4 times per year. As part of plastics academic sessions, pathology slides are reviewed as a group with Dr. Williams in the department of pathology.

Understanding research and being able to interpret published articles is part of the academic mission of the West Virginia University Eye Institute and Ophthalmic Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Fellowship Program. Reviewing and interpreting the literature is part of plastics academic session (journal club), all Grand Rounds presentations, and clinical patient care. Scholarly activity is required of every fellow. In each year of training, the fellow is expected to produce at least two works for publication (papers or chapters). The fellow must also complete an ASOPRS thesis prior to graduation. Collaborative research is encouraged at every level in this institution. You will be guided through these endeavors by your faculty.

Our goal is for every fellow to graduate with competence and confidence in the field of ophthalmic plastic and reconstructive surgery.

Current Oculoplastics Fellows

Chad Bingham, MD