Residency Training - Duke Eye Center

Conferences & Research

Residency Quick Links

Clinical Specialties

Residency Training

Regular Conferences

Special Conferences

Research

Lectures and conferences at the Duke residency program supplement the clinical experience gained on rotations. The program participates in the annual Ophthalmic Knowledge Assessment Program (OKAP). Many resources are available to prepare for this examination, with the broader goal of ensuring that residents pass the written and oral examinations required by the American Board of Ophthalmology.

In addition to the conferences below, all incoming residents are given a full set of the American Academy of Ophthalmology's (AAO) basic and clinical science course books. There is also a full ophthalmic resident library with current journals, ophthalmic texts, computers, MEDLINE and Internet access, as well as access to most reference ophthalmic texts on CD-ROM. The easily accessible Duke Medical Center library has additional resources as well.

Trainees attend daily morning conferences geared toward resident education. Conferences are held weekly in retinal imaging with biweekly conferences in glaucoma, cornea, pediatrics, plastics, neuro-ophthalmology and pathology. In addition, there is protected lecture time from 1pm-5pm each Friday that encompasses a full spectrum of current ophthalmology practice.

Regular Conferences

Retinal Imaging Conference (Formerly Fluorescein Conference)

This highly interactive weekly conference is led by retina fellows and faculty and aims to address the basics of retinal diagnosis and management as well as the latest challenges in retinal imaging. Case-based lectures prepare residents for the clinical setting and include everything from classic presentations of retinal pathology to complex diagnostic dilemmas.

Subspecialty Morning Conference

Fellows and faculty present clinical cases of medical or surgical interest and generate discussion and ideas among the residents and faculty. The major clinical trials create a framework for the curriculum which aims to cover both basics in diagnosis and management as well as ground-breaking new research occurring in the fields.

Bryan Lecture Series

Leaders in the field of ophthalmology from around the world are invited to present lectures on the latest in ophthalmologic care and research. Often the lecturers will enjoy lunch with the residents and give a resident specific lecture prior to addressing the Duke Eye Center community for the keynote lecture. Past lecturers have included Dr. Elke Lutjen Drecoll, Dr. Peter Laibson, Dr. Marshall Parks, Dr. Brenda Gallie, Dr. Margaret Livingstone, Dr. Ronald Burde, Dr. George Waring, Dr. Elise Heon, and Dr. Martin Wax

Chairman's Science of Disease

This lecture series addresses the new “team approach” to medicine and takes advantage of the many strong departments outside of ophthalmology here at Duke. A Duke Eye Center faculty member, in conjunction with a faculty member from another Duke department, speaks on a clinical topic paired together with a related basic science topic. Past lectures have included the glaucoma gene, sustained drug delivery for ocular diseases, corneal wound healing, and optic nerve gliomas. These collaborations typify the vast opportunities offered to Duke residents to work on ground-breaking research in conjunction with engineers, basic scientists, chemists, pharmacists and others.

Special Conferences/Courses

Journal Clubs

Residents present articles at informal monthly meetings hosted by faculty members. Dinner is followed by discussion on the selected topic.

Clinicopathologic Conferences

The first-year residents share recent cases of pathologic interest at the Eye Center. These interactive conferences, moderated by Gordon Klintworth, MD, PhD, a world-renowned ophthalmic pathologist, focus on the use of clinical, radiologic, and pathologic findings in the diagnosis and management of ophthalmic disease.

Duke Symposia

The continuing medical education department organizes two to six symposia each year for the local and national ophthalmology community. Duke residents attend all free of charge. These include an annual Glaucoma Symposium, a biannual Advanced Vitreous Surgery Symposium, the Global Blindness Symposium and the Duke Vision Symposium.

Tri-Residency Conferences

Each year the residents and faculty of the Duke, UNC, and Wake Forest Retina and Glaucoma departments gather to discuss cases and exchange ideas on a variety of topics in the subspecialties of Retina and Glaucoma. These conferences are a great opportunity to meet local trainees and gain perspective on the local ophthalmology scene.

Special Conferences

Each year, a variety of special conferences are held for the residents. Recent topics have covered the business of medicine, launching a career and international ophthalmology opportunities.

Research

The Duke Eye Center is internationally recognized as a research institution of the highest caliber. Faculty members regard the search for cures to eye diseases to be part of their mission. They actively pursue a wide variety of research interests. Research laboratories are located in the new cutting-edge AERI research building adjacent to the Wadsworth clinical building. State-of-the-art facilities include space for histology, electron-microscopy, digital imaging, biochemistry, and animal research. The Eye Center is fortunate to have a full-time statistician, Sandra Stinnett, who completed her PhD in Biostatistics. Her enthusiasm and willingness to engage in research projects with residents and faculty alike make her an invaluable member of the Eye Center team.

Residents at the Eye Center conduct research with one or more faculty mentors, pursuing projects within the faculty members’ area of interest. However, residents with pre-defined research interests who wish to work more independently are encouraged to do so. Funding for resident research projects is available through faculty grants and through a departmental fund that has been set aside for small research projects. The department also provides funding toward resident attendance at scientific meetings during all three years of training.

Resident interest in performing research will naturally vary over a significant range.

The minimum research requirement for Duke ophthalmology residents is completion of one project each year under the supervision of a faculty preceptor. The results of the project are presented at the Annual Residents' Day in June.