Founded by John I. Loewenstein, MD and Demetrios G. Vavvas, MD, PhD, the Mass Eye and Ear Vitrectomy Course marks its 16th year this July, continuing a curriculum built specifically for first-year retina fellows.
In this episode of Evidence Based Retina, Rishi Singh, MD, FASRS joins John Miller, MD—course director and associate professor of ophthalmology at Mass Eye and Ear—to discuss this unique educational experience.
“It's a really special opportunity to see Mass Eye and Ear functioning in prime time with our own nurses and a really high faculty-to-fellow ratio of one-to-one or greater per trainee.”
Vitrectomy course fast facts
Now, in its 16th year, the Vitrectomy Course at Mass Eye and Ear:1
- Was designed specifically for first-year fellows in their earliest weeks of training.
- Has a faculty-to-fellow ratio of one-to-one or greater per trainee.
- Utilizes lectures, panels, video simulations, and hour-long wet labs to teach the theory and practice of vitreoretinal surgery.
- Is scheduled for July 10 and 11, intentionally placed during fellows' first week, to provide invaluable training as they take the step up from residency and assume independent surgical responsibilities.
“We hope that by inserting this course into that first week, it's really like a boot camp or an orientation.”
A look at leadership
Dr. Miller leads a team of five course directors organizing the two-day program for roughly 100 participants. Along with Dr. Miller, this year's dedicated directors include returning faculty Elizabeth Rossin, MD, PhD; Nimesh Patel, MD along with first-time leaders Jose Davila, MD and K. Matthew McKay, MD. In addition, a group of eminent guest instructors will share their pearls and perspectives.
“I think the faculty love coming to this course because of the fellow to faculty ratio.”
Other key educators from across the country and even internationally will be joining the course, including Mario Romano MD, PhD a full Professor of Ophthalmology and Director of the Resident Program, Humanitas University, Milan, Italy; Sophie Bakri Professor and Chair of the Department of Ophthalmology at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota; and Sharon Fekrat MD, FACS, FASRS of Duke Eye Center.
Core curriculum
With a focus on vitreoretinal surgery, the course combines didactics, video simulation, and hands-on wet labs held directly in the Mass Eye and Ear OR. By leveraging their surgical space on Saturday when the regular staff are not operating, the course provides full capacity operating in the same rooms where the doctors are repairing retinal detachments and performing other retinal surgeries throughout the week. Wet labs run for a full hour per station.
The course exposes fellows to vitrectomy machines from multiple vendors, including Alcon, B+L, and Dorc, along with microscopes from various manufacturers and 3D heads-up visualization and intraoperative OCT.
“It's a great opportunity for fellows to see a wide range of technology and offers cutting-edge opportunities for visualization that may go beyond what they might even see during their fellowship. It might be the only chance they really get to see that type of equipment.”
In closing
With five course directors, a faculty roster drawing from across the country and internationally, and a one-to-one or greater faculty-to-fellow ratio, the Vitrectomy Course continues to usher ophthalmology residents into fellowship with intensive instruction in the theory and practice of vitreoretinal surgery.
