Educational Experience
Under the mentorship of our glaucoma faculty, fellows manage high clinical and surgical volume, enhancing their skills and knowledge in both traditional and minimally invasive glaucoma surgery (MIGS), as well as complex and routine cataract surgery. Our faculty have diverse training background, providing fellows with exposure to varied clinical and surgical approaches. As a tertiary referral center for our region, we are managing the most complex glaucoma patients in western North Carolina, with frequent referrals from eastern Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia.
Our educational philosophy is to provide balance between autonomy and supervision, ensuring that fellows graduate confident in their ability to independently manage challenging glaucoma. Fellows will spend most of their time in attending OR and clinic, with priority placed on gaining surgical experience and managing post-operative patients. Fellows will be expected to participate in surgical cases from day one, with increasing autonomy as the year progresses. Fellows will also have their own independent clinic weekly.
The fellowship also emphasizes education, providing opportunities for fellows to mentor residents and students, present at grand rounds, and deliver didactic lectures. Fellows will also aid in supervising the management of glaucoma patients in our resident clinic.
In addition, fellows will have the option to participate in clinical research projects, although involvement is not mandatory. Our department is also involved in global outreach, with opportunities to participate in a mission trip to Honduras if desired.
