The Corneal, External Disease, and Refractive Surgery Fellowship Program is comprised of clinical training, research and teaching components and divided into two tracks.

Track 1: This track features a one-year period of clinical training with an emphasis on corneal disease, external disease, cataract surgery and refractive surgery.

Track 2: For those candidates who want a more serious academic track, a two-year track is also available. (Track 1 may be extended to a fully funded two-year fellowship program.) The additional year of the Track 2 program is largely dedicated to specific training and projects involving basic science or clinical research in areas involving corneal, external disease, or refractive surgery

Clinical Training: This fellowship at Duke emphasizes clinical and scientific training with both clinical and laboratory research encouraged. The clinical demands placed on the fellow provide a stimulating environment for learning and gaining clinical and surgical skills. The fellow works closely with the attendings on the service: Alan N. Carlson, MD, Terry Kim, MD, and Natalie Afshari, MD, as well as other members of the Duke Eye Center.

The clinical fellow will assist in 500 to 1,000 surgical procedures during the year and function as the primary surgeon in 100 to 200 surgical procedures consisting of corneal transplantation, descemet's stripping endothelial keratoplasty, phacoemulsification, intraocular lens exchange, anterior segment trauma, and LASIK. Additionally, the fellow is an integral part of the service and participates in all aspects of case clinical management. The clinical and surgical exposure to an extremely wide variety of pathology involving the cornea and anterior segment is considered a major strength of this fellowship.

Research: Research opportunities exist within the Department of Ophthalmology as well as other services within the Duke University Medical Center and include Immunology and Pathology.

Two (clinical) fellows are on board each year. The official position title for the fellow is clinical associate. The position functions as a junior faculty member in the Department of Ophthalmology. On the application, please check the appropriate box to indicate interest in Track 1 or Track 2. Deadline for receipt of application and supporting material is September 15 of each year.

Requirements:

• Full North Carolina medical licensure (not a training license) 

• Clinical positions cannot be offered to individuals who are international medical school graduates who do not qualify for full North Carolina licensure. 

• Being accepted as a fellow with a citizenship other than United States will require working with the North Carolina Medical Board and the Immigration and Naturalization Service. 

• Applicants must be H1-B eligible or have a green card to become a cornea fellow at Duke. 

For more information contact program coordinator Barbara Kaminski atDuke Eye Center, DUMC Box 3802, Durham, NC 27710, by telephone 919-684-5769 or email at Barbara.Kaminski@duke.edu