The Glaucoma Fellowship Program is comprised of clinical training, research and teaching components.

There are two tracks available to Glaucoma fellows. Both are two-year programs. The goal of both tracks is to teach and convey a fundamental understanding of glaucoma diagnosis and management and to promote intellectual curiosity in glaucoma.

Track 1: Is a two-year clinical research fellowship. This option consists of a primarily clinical year (80-percent clinical, 20-percent research) and a primarily research year (75-percent research, 25-percent clinical). The two years may be either research/clinical or clinical/research. The applicant may specify which order (research or clinical first) for the fellowship match. This fellowship is tailored to meet the needs of those who are considering an academic career path.

Track 2: Is also a two-year fellowship. It offers one year of clinical training or one year of clinical training, followed by an optional research year.

Clinical training: The clinical fellowship focuses on the diagnosis and management of glaucoma. Fellows see patients with the senior faculty in the Joseph M. Bryan Glaucoma Clinic and participate in laser and incisional surgery. Fellows receive a broad surgical and laser experience at the Duke Eye Center and Durham Veterans’ Administration Medical Center. Surgery is staffed by senior faculty, which consists of R. Rand Allingham, MD, director, Sanjay Asrani, MD, Dana Blumberg, MD, Pratap Challa, MD, Leon Herndon, MD, Paul Lee, MD, JD, Stuart McKinnon, MD, Kelly Muir, MD, and Molly Walsh, MD.

Clinical fellows are also involved in helping with clinical and surgical supervision of the residents and organizing glaucoma conferences.

Research: Clinical fellows are strongly encouraged to pursue original research and are provided time to do so. Research projects may be clinical or basic science in nature. Completion of the project, including presentation at ARVO or another scientific meeting, and peer-review publication are the goals of the research. 

The Duke Eye Center Glaucoma Service is particularly dedicated to the idea that research into disease mechanisms, patient care, and new technologies is the primary way to improve glaucoma care in patients. Trainees are strongly encouraged to pursue research interests during either track so that they may make important contributions to the field throughout their careers, regardless of future career paths. The faculty, both research and clinical, is dedicated to collaboration with fellows while conducting various clinical and laboratory investigations. 

The research component entails almost all aspects of glaucoma. Research is conducted in the Barkhouser Glaucoma Research Laboratory of the Duke Eye Center, or clinical or health services research, using the resources of Duke University. Duke Eye Center has complete facilities and resources for a wide range of research projects, both basic and clinical in nature. The specific project(s) is designed to fit the interest and background of each individual fellow. The clinical fellows have a 20 percent research commitment and pursue one or more clinical research projects during their year.

Requirements:

• Full North Carolina medical licensure (not a training license) 
• Clinical positions cannot be offered to individuals who are international medical school graduates that 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 glaucoma fellow at Duke. 

Applications: Currently applications for fellowship positions which begin July 7, 2008, are being accepted. Completed applications must be received by September 15, 2008. Candidates are notified by early October about the interviewing process. 

For more information contact program coordinator Robin Goodwin at Duke Eye Center, DUMC Box 3802, Durham, NC 27710, by telephone 919-684-2975 or email at robin.goodwin@duke.edu