Program Description

The mission of the glaucoma fellowship at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) is to develop a fundamental understanding of glaucoma and its management. We offer a depth of clinical training that serves as a foundation for our graduates to pursue diverse careers in glaucoma care.

UPMC offers two (2) 1-year glaucoma fellowship positions. We currently have 4 glaucoma faculty members who provide care throughout the greater Pittsburgh area and at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center.  Each of our faculty members completed fellowship training at different academic institutions, providing our fellows with diverse clinical and surgical approaches to the treatment of glaucoma.

Our fellows work alongside our faculty members at each site where you will learn to interpret optical coherence tomography (OCT), Humphrey Visual Field testing, Goldmann visual field testing, ultrasound biomicroscopy, B-scan ultrasound, Visante OCT, and ocular biometry.  The fellow will perform office-based procedures such as selective laser trabeculoplasty (SLT), argon and YAG laser peripheral iridotomy (LPI), trans-scleral cyclophotocoagulation procedures (CPC and MP3), YAG laser capsulotomy, laser suture lysis, iridoplasty, and cyclodialysis closure.

Our fellow’s surgical exposure includes the following:

• minimally invasive glaucoma surgery (MIGS)– Hydrus, ab interno canaloplasty, Omni, Kahook dual blade, endoscopic cyclophotocoagulation (ECP), Steamlinegoniotomy, iStent Inject, gonioscopy-assisted transluminal trabeculotomy (GATT), and the XEN gel stent
• traditional glaucoma filtering surgeries – trabeculectomy, valved and non-valved aqueous tube shunts, trabeculectomy and aqueous tube shunt revisions
• complex anterior segment surgeries – IOL exchange, Yamane IOL fixation technique, direct cyclodialysis cleft repair, iris repair/suturing, anterior vitrectomy via pars plana approach, iridozonulohyaloidectomy
• routine and complex phacoemulsification with implantation of monofocal, toric, and premium IOLs

Our fellows have an opportunity to participate in resident education during clinical rotations, resident lecture series, OKAP preparation, and wet labs. The glaucoma division hosts journal clubs throughout the academic year with topics chosen by the faculty and fellows.  In addition, fellows are given an opportunity to attend weekly Grand Rounds sessions on Friday mornings with the Department of Ophthalmology.  Each fellow will be assigned glaucoma call with faculty back-up and consult coverage.  Each fellow will present a research project at the end of the year.

In spring of 2023, our department will move into a newly constructed Vision Institute on the Mercy Hospital campus. This 410,000 square-foot, nine-story building will promote collaboration and integrate vision services in this state-of-the-art facility.

As our Glaucoma Fellow, you will become an active member of the Glaucoma Service, working closely with all full-time clinical glaucoma faculty — Ian Conner, MD, PhD, Tarek Shazly, MD and John Swogger, DO — and the Glaucoma Resident in the clinical and surgical care of our glaucoma patients. The Clinical Glaucoma Fellowship at UPMC is a one-year program, usually beginning in July.
 

Program Director

Ian Conner, MD, PhD
Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology
Director, Glaucoma and Anterior Segment Surgery Service
Director, Glaucoma Fellowship Program

Teaching Faculty

Applications

We participate in the SF Match and consider all applications submitted by the deadlines posted on the SF Match site.  

For more information, contact program coordinator Lauren Wally at wallyl@upmc.edu.

The Glaucoma Fellowship Program is registered with the Association of University Professors of Ophthalmology (AUPO) fellowship compliance program and meets guidelines set forth by the AUPO fellowship compliance committee.

Current and Former Fellows

Current:

Thomas Berk, MD FRCSC


Shelley Mo, MD

Tyler Berger, MD

Ahmed Abdou, MD

Former

2020-2021:
Sarah Ullah, MD – Residency at Pennsylvania State University, Hershey, PA
Emily Hughes, MD – Residency at Royal Victoria Eye and Ear Hospital, Dublin, Ireland

2019-2020:
Tigran Kostanyan, MD – Private Practice, Las Vegas, NV
David Rooney, MD – International Ophthalmology Fellowship, Stanford University, Stanford, CA

2018-2019:
Joel Palko, MD – West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV
Tuan Nguyen, MD – University of Texas Health, San Antonio, TX

2017-2018:
Andrew Siegel, MD – Eye Physicians of Virginia, Reston, VA
Robert Null, MD -  Discover Vision Centers, Kansas City, MO

2016-2017:
Edward Chay, MD – Shefkind Eye Care, Alexandria, VA
Kate Fallano, MD – Glaucoma Consultants, Baltimore, MD

2015-2016:
Manik Goel, MD – Marshall University, Huntington, WV

2014-2015:
Julia Polat, MD – UPMC
Eric Brown, MD – Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN

2013-2014:
Evan Lagouros, MD – Illinois Eye Center, Peoria, IL

2012-2013:
Rachel Davis, MD – University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM

2011-2012:
Ian Conner, MD – UPMC
Jeremy Wingard, MD – Wheaton Eye Clinic, Wheaton, IL

2010-2011:
Kimberly Miller, MD – Brown University, Providence, RI