Weill Cornell Medical College

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Residency Program Overview

The residency program at the Weill Cornell Medical College has recently undergone a significant restructuring. The program was rebuilt around a central core of quality academics and a renewed dedication to teaching. We are very proud of the new program, and as a prospective resident we invite you to learn more about us and these exciting changes.

Below is a concise narrative overview of the residency program, if you would like to learn more or apply for an elective rotation please contact Dr. Starr's secretary, Alexis Deery, at ald2017@med.cornell.edu.

General Information:

At the beginning of the residency the department provides the new residents with the updated edition of the multi-volume American Academy of Ophthalmology Basic & Clinical Science Course textbooks, the Wills Eye Manual, as well as a complete set of retinal indirect lenses. A $1000 stipend is also provided to cover equipment and textbook costs over the course of the 3-year residency.

Regular weekly didactic sessions for all residents include OKAP review quizzes, chart reviews, fluorescein rounds, pathology lectures and teleconference, neuroradiology rounds, neuro-ophthalmology lectures, subspecialty didactic lectures, and Grand Rounds. The residents also attend the Greater New York Lecture Series on Wednesday nights at Manhattan Eye & Ear & Throat Hospital and the New York Eye & Ear Infirmary’s Tuesday evening OKAP review series.

All residents are responsible for presenting interesting cases complete with literature review at Grand Rounds approximately 3 times per year. Research is highly encouraged during all 3 years of residency; if a resident gets a study submission accepted at a major ophthalmic meeting, the department will reimburse the resident’s travel and expenses.

First Year:

The first year of residency represents a concentrated introduction to the basic principals and theories of ophthalmology and ophthalmic surgery. First year residents primarily rotate through the comprehensive and cornea services, assist in the operating room, and take first call. They also do a Low Vision rotation at the world-renowned Lighthouse International in midtown Manhattan. On the Comprehensive Eye Service, the resident becomes facile in the work-up, examination and treatment of a wide spectrum of ophthalmic patients. First year residents also learn and perform minor surgical procedures such as chalazia and pterygia excisions as well as minor eyelid procedures and temporal artery biopsies. While on the cornea rotation the first year resident participates in the care, work-up, and surgical observation of refractive, cataract, and corneal transplant patients. The call schedule during the first year is roughly every 4th night since second year residents cover 2 nights of call each week. Call is taken from home. When on call, the residents cover the New York-Presbyterian Hospital, Memorial Sloan Kettering Hospital and the Hospital for Special Surgery. We firmly adhere to all the NY state and ACGME mandated duty hour restrictions. First year residents also participate in the busy and diverse New York-Presbyterian Hospital consult service which is also co-covered by the second and third year residents.

Second Year:

The second year of residency at Cornell is one of subspecialty immersion. The second year is spent entirely on subspecialty rotations encompassing retina, glaucoma, neuro-ophthalmology, pediatrics and strabismus, oculoplastics and oncology. The majority of the year is spent at Weill Cornell however the oncology rotation is spent with David Abramson, MD at Memorial Sloan Kettering Hospital and portions of the glaucoma and pediatrics rotations are spent at the New York Hospital’s Queens affiliate. During the second year, the surgical experience includes all strabismus cases, retinal and glaucoma lasers, complex eyelid and orbital cases, as well as temporal artery biopsies. There is an intensive cataract surgery wet lab experience during the second year in which each resident must complete a minimum of 20 attending supervised practice cases before their first surgery. Second year residents share responsibility for first call on Tuesday and Thursday evenings after 7:00 pm, and share the call responsibilities at New York Hospital-Queens. They share the majority of the consult service responsibilities with the third year residents. Second year residents are responsible for presenting at grand rounds, attending all didactic sessions, and performing independent research projects. At the end of their second year, all residents attend the Massachusetts Eye & Ear Infirmary’s Intensive Cataract Surgery Course.

Third Year:

During the third year of residency, emphasis is placed on learning and performing intraocular surgery. Additionally, the third year is a time for the resident to take on more autonomy in treating patients in the comprehensive eye services at Cornell and the New York Hospital-Queens. Our third year residents also play an instrumental role in the teaching and supervision of junior residents and medical students who rotate through the clinics. Each senior resident supervises and assists the first and second year residents and oversees the efficient daily operation of the clinic. The year is divided into 3 four-month rotational blocks; one in the comprehensive eye service at Cornell, one in the comprehensive eye service in Queens, and one pure surgical rotation during which the resident participates in all available daily surgeries at Cornell. Third year residents cover part of the call at New York Hospital—Queens, take backup call for the first years, and are on primary call for all surgical emergencies. Emergency surgery is performed by the third year resident under the supervision of the attending physician on call. Some residents elect to participate in a 1-month department-funded international elective in India or Tanzania. Each third year resident is funded to attend the American Academy of Ophthalmology’s annual meeting. Like all the other years, the third year residents are also expected to present cases at grand rounds, to perform and write up original research projects, and to attend all weekly didactic sessions.

After Graduation:

Most of our graduating residents apply for subspecialty fellowships and the majority are fortunate to match at one of their top choices. In recent years our residents have matched at Harvard, UCLA, USC, Duke, Cornell, Pittsburgh and UCSF for fellowships in retina, cornea, plastics and glaucoma.