Postgraduate Medical Education

Ophthalmic camera microscope and image of the eye on screen — Faculty of Medicine

Department of Ophthalmology

Postgraduate Medical Education

The Department provides training through didactic sessions as well as observation and hands on experience, to produce a high-quality ophthalmologist

One of the premier residency programs in North America, the Ophthalmology Residency Training Program at the University of Ottawa established in 1963. Since then, many residents have graduated and now practice throughout North America and in several countries overseas.

The University of Ottawa provides a five-year comprehensive training in ophthalmology, leading to eligibility to write the Royal College specialty examinations in ophthalmology. Following the first year of broad-based clinical exposure, the residents are ready to begin their four core years of ophthalmology. Throughout the four years, there are dedicated formal lecture times and seminars which continue throughout the academic year. Also, the Department sponsors an active Visiting Professors’ Program attracting world-class clinicians and scientists and a journal club is held monthly with both faculty and community ophthalmologist participating. Residents attend a number of conferences throughout the year and are encouraged to make presentations at national and international ophthalmic meetings. The academic highlight of the year is the resident Scientific and Research Day. Residents and Fellows present the results of their research projects to staff and community ophthalmologists and a visiting professor is invited to give the J.D. Allen Lecture (named after the chairman of the Department at the time when the first residents were enrolled).

The new curriculum, encompassing four years of training, has dedicated research time, elective and more in-depth exposure to subspecialties. The resident’s progress is closely monitored in clinics, operating room and teaching sessions and by practice oral examinations. All residents write the OKAP (Ophthalmic Knowledge Assessment Program) exam in the spring of each year.

The Department of Ophthalmology has continued to grow and now consists of forty-five full-time and part-time ophthalmologists and two PhDs. Voluntary part-time ophthalmologists make a major contribution to the Program, devoting their time to teach, to supervise clinics, and to assist residents in surgical cases.

The faculty is consistently amazed at the quality of applicants. Unfortunately, with only two to three residency positions funded by the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care available each year, the selection process is extremely difficult.

Many changes will occur in Postgraduate Medical Education in the future and the faculty is committed to maintaining the level of excellence it has achieved over the years.

The University of Ottawa has three separate sites where residents train during their time in Ottawa. The University of Ottawa Eye Institute (EI), the Riverside Eye Care Centre (RECC), and the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO).

The University of Ottawa Eye Institute, located at The Ottawa Hospital - General Campus, is where residents spend the majority of their time. This centre offers a centralized facility with access to a large volume of sub-specialists, specialized ophthalmic diagnostic testing, and an ophthalmic imaging suite. Two dedicated operating rooms (ORs), a minor procedure room, the Emergency Eye clinic (Clinic C), multiple sub-specialty clinics, and our Ophthalmology Surgical Simulation Centre (OSSC) are all housed within the Eye Institute. The EI is also home to the Ophthalmic Medical Technologist training program, which provides a unique interprofessional training experience for residents. You can find the EI on the 3rd floor of the Critical Care Wing of The Ottawa Hospital. Teaching sessions, when in person, are held in the conference room on the 3rd floor. Residents can be found in the clinics, ORs, or in the resident lounge!

The Riverside Eye Care Centre is a high volume surgical centre that performs over 9000 intraocular procedures each year. There are four dedicated eye ORs for cataracts, retinal procedures, cornea surgery, and glaucoma surgery. In PGY-3, 4 and 5, residents take part in a series of rigorous cataract surgery blocks at the Riverside, where they are given the opportunity to perform hundreds of cataract surgeries, and hone their skills over a dedicated period of time. Residents also spend time in the Riverside Eye Care Centre Emergency Eye Clinic, busy subspecialty clinics led by teaching faculty, and the laser procedure room.

CHEO is the main training site for Pediatric Ophthalmology in Ottawa. The state of the art (and recently renovated) eye clinic is fully equipped with all the tools and resources to best examine and care for young patients. Residents spend five blocks in pediatric ophthalmology during their PGY-3 year, where they see pediatric outpatients, emergency consults and take part in strabismus surgery.

The clinical space at the University of Ottawa is also in close proximity to basic science research labs at the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute. Throughout residency, residents are supported by these researchers and have the opportunity to partake in research projects. Graduate students and scientists regularly join us for Grand Rounds, Research Day, and Faculty Journal Clubs.

During the PGY-1 off-service training, residents may spend time at The Ottawa Hospital Civic Campus for inpatient rotations. Although not a main site for ophthalmology training, residents may be consulted for inpatients and premature neonates at the Civic Campus.

We are fortunate to have additional training opportunities from many ophthalmologists who have offices in the community. Comprehensive and subspecialty training in areas including Retina, Cornea and Anterior Segment, Oculoplastics and Glaucoma are available to us as needed.

The program goals and objectives are the minimum requirements to graduate in Ophthalmology following four core years of training. Individual differences in talent and capacity will be recognized. The Department provides training through didactic sessions as well as observation and hands on experience. It is the responsibility of the residents, to take the fullest possible advantage of these opportunities to not only qualify for the examinations, but also to become an accomplished ophthalmologist.

The day-to-day performance in the clinic, rounds, operating room, Journal Club and teaching sessions provides the basis for the resident evaluations. Mock orals and the examinations throughout the year provide additional opportunities for assessment.

Each month, the program celebrates the achievements of a resident through a “Resident of the Month” award. This is an acknowledgment of the hard work and dedication to the program as voted by the group of residents.

General Goals

To produce a high-quality ophthalmologist who can function as a:

Medical expert by

demonstrating diagnostic and therapeutic skills for ethical and effective patient care;
accessing and applying relevant information to clinical practice;
demonstrating effective consultation services with respect to patient care, education and legal opinions.

Communicator by

establishing therapeutic relationships with patients and families;
obtaining and synthesizing relevant history from patients / families / communities;
listening effectively
discussing appropriate information with patients/families and the healthcare team.

Collaborator by

consulting effectively with other physicians and healthcare professionals;
contributing effectively to other intra-disciplinary team activity.

Leader by

utilizing resources effectively to balance patient care, learning needs and outside activities;
allocating finite healthcare resources wisely;
working effectively and efficiently in the healthcare organization;
utilizing information technology to optimize patient care, learning and other activities

Health advocate by

identifying the important determinants of health affecting patients;
contributing effectively to improve health of patients and communities;
recognizing and responding to those issues where advocacy is appropriate;

Scholar by

developing, implementing and monitoring a personal continuing education strategy;
critically appraising sources of medical information;
facilitating learning of patients, house staff/students and other health professionals by contributing to development of new knowledge.

Professional by

delivering highest quality care with integrity, honesty and compassion;
exhibiting appropriate personal and intrapersonal professional behaviours
practising medicine ethically, consistent with obligations of a physician.
To provide an opportunity to develop research skills.
To provide an opportunity to develop teaching skills.
To provide the basic and clinical knowledge and skills to pass professional examinations in the specialty (Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada and American Boards).

Curriculum Overview

The University of Ottawa provides a five-year comprehensive training in ophthalmology, leading to eligibility to write the Royal College specialty examinations in ophthalmology. Following the PGY-1 year, which is designed to give a broad-based clinical exposure, the residents start their four core years of ophthalmology.

PGY-1

The first year will provide a broad clinical background for residents entering ophthalmology. This will include 50 to 60% of the year in medicine, with exposure to general medicine, intensive care, ambulatory, endocrinology, neuro-radiology, and neurology. Non-medicine rotations would include plastic surgery, ENT, paediatric emergency, and adult emergency. The first rotation bloc is now an ophthalmology rotation. In May, the residents spend two weeks in ophthalmology clinics, before going to the Toronto Ophthalmology Introductory Course (TORIC).

PGY-2

The residents are introduced to ophthalmology. The second-year residents participate in both general and subspecialty clinics.

During this year, residents are mainly based at the University of Ottawa Eye Institute and the Riverside Eye Care Centre, with a a block in Ophthalmic Diagnostics.

During the Ophthalmic Diagnostics rotation there is dedicated time to learn contact lens fitting and management of the low vision patient.

PGY-3

The highlight of this year is an intensive four-month rotation at the Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO) in Paediatric Ophthalmology under the direction of paediatric ophthalmology and strabismology specialists. During this rotation, the residents have a weekly seminar series that covers all aspects of paediatric ophthalmology and strabismus. The surgical training is particularly rewarding and allows the residents to gain a comprehensive experience in routine strabismus procedures. The remaining rotations of the year are based at the University of Ottawa Eye Institute. There is a two-month oculoplastics rotation. Dedicated research time will be available. During the remaining rotations, the residents will continue to acquire expertise in the general and sub-specialty clinics as well as develop their skills in cataract, glaucoma and retina-vitreous surgery.

PGY-4

In this year, time is devoted to further developing clinical skills in the general and subspecialty clinics while gaining further experience in cataract surgery including phacoemulsification, glaucoma, oculoplastics and retina-vitreous. The resident has the opportunity to serve as Chief resident and be responsible for the organization of the resident on-call schedule, resident clinics, O.R. and journal club.

PGY-5

The curriculum ensures that the resident has a solid grounding in general ophthalmology, has attained a high level of surgical expertise and is adequately prepared to take the Royal College examinations in May/June of that year. In the final year, in addition to perfecting clinical skills in all areas of surgery and in the general and specialty clinics, time is available for research and electives as well as any remedial training that is deemed necessary. Block rotations during the final year allow the resident to function at an advanced level on different subspecialty services as well as an opportunity to gain experience in community general ophthalmologists' practices. These block rotations allow the resident to spend 2-3 blocks in each of the following subspecialty areas glaucoma, neuro-ophthalmology, retina, oculoplastics, cornea and anterior segment, including photorefractive surgery.

Clinical Skills Course

Ottawa offers a comprehensive clinical skills course at the beginning of the PGY-2 year. It is designed to orientate residents to the clinical and surgical foundations of ophthalmology. The course consists of a series of 20 sessions delivered by staff ophthalmologists, senior residents and allied health professionals. The course is divided into three session types: clinical skill sessions, discussion sessions and surgical skill sessions.

Anatomy and Wet lab

Anatomy and wet lab skills courses

University of Ottawa Ophthalmology gives residents early surgical exposure starting in their 2nd year via the Surgical Simulation Centre to ensure that each resident is extremely well-trained surgically before entering the OR. The Ophthalmology Surgical Simulation Centre (wet lab) offers the residents a place to learn and practice surgical procedures with a pig eye model developed by Dr. Buhrmann. In addition, the residents have access to an EYESI simulator. The surgical training course runs throughout the course of the year, regardless of which rotation a resident is on. This allows for spaced repetition. There are two main longitudinal courses that help develop a resident’s surgical skills.

Ophthalmic surgical skills course

Dr. Ralf Buhrmann, a glaucoma and anterior segment surgeon, and Director of the Ophthalmology Surgical Simulation Centre, has developed a superb hands-on training program for the residents. This program is split into 4 courses: Introduction to Microsurgery (PGY-2); Introduction to Cataract Surgery (PGY-2); Intermediate Cataract (PGY-3); and Advanced Cataract Surgery (PGY-4 and PGY-5). Other surgical teachers join in on some of these sessions to provide further expertise.

During these courses, residents get ample opportunities to practice their skills and ask questions outside of their formal OR days. This environment allows residents to get detailed and insightful feedback. Each surgical station includes video capabilities to record surgeries for later review and teaching.

Anatomy course

Dr. David Jordan, an oculoplastic specialist, runs a comprehensive anatomy course for the PGY-2 and PGY-3 residents that is both didactic (following a finely tuned anatomy manual that Dr. Jordan has put together over 30 years) and hands-on, with the resident’s own individual cadaver head. Over 5 days, residents learn about the cranial nerves (origin and destination), the cavernous sinus area, as well as all the important structures in the eyelid, nasolacrimal system, and orbit. This occurs through a detailed dissection of a human cadaver head, with close supervision by Dr. Jordan, who is there for the duration of the course, helping the students identify key structures and highlighting their clinical importance. This unique aspect of the program provides residents with a solid foundational understanding that they can then apply in the clinic or operating room.

Didactic teaching

One of the program’s many strengths is the high volume of didactic teaching sessions delivered by staff ophthalmologists. Structured academic half-day sessions every Friday morning ensure all ophthalmic subspecialty topics from the American Academy of Ophthalmology Manuals are covered in their entirety twice during one's residency. In addition, there are morning Professor Rounds multiple times per week and Grand Rounds every Wednesday.

The topics covered during the core curriculum sessions include the following:

Anatomy
Oculoplastics
Microbiology
Surgery
Neuro Ophthalmology
Step Wise Approach to Research
Cornea
Pediatrics
Retina
Glaucoma
Uveitis
Optics & Refraction
Epidemiology

Morning Professor Rounds:

Professor Rounds are early morning, one-hour teaching sessions for the residents, given by our teaching faculty. These sessions are held twice per week on average. At least one session per month is a program admin session where the Program Director meets with all the residents to discuss relevant topics.

Grand Rounds:

The Department of Ophthalmology has weekly Grand Rounds every Wednesday from 7:30am to 8:30am. The Grand Rounds are held at the Ottawa Hospital, General Campus, Critical Care Wing, 5th floor, Room #W5225. They can also be viewed live or reviewed through the archived Grand Rounds sessions online.

Pathology Review:

Dr. James Farmer, an experienced ocular pathologist at The Ottawa Hospital, who also holds clinical privileges at Queen’s University in Kingston, provides an extensive pathology review for uOttawa residents to assist with OKAP and mock oral examination preparation.

Journal Club:

The Department of Ophthalmology offers Journal Club sessions seven times per year. All faculty, residents and fellows are invited to attend these sessions. The sessions are held on a weeknight at the Ottawa Hospital, General Campus, Critical Care Wing, 5th floor, Room #W5225. Light refreshments are available. Twice per year, the Journal Club sessions are held at a local convention centre along with a formal dinner.

Fluorescein Angiography (FA) Rounds:

Retina rounds are held once per month by our retina teaching faculty.

Cornea Journal Club:

Precision Cornea Centre hosts international educational rounds on Cornea, Anterior Segment, Cataract, and Refractive Surgery. Though this center is outside of our main teaching hospitals, residents can attend these sessions.

OKAP Review Series:

The Department of Ophthalmology holds OKAP preparation teaching sessions for the residents, given by teaching faculty in February and March each year.

Surgical teaching:

Junior training years (PGY2/3) focus on developing surgical skills in pediatric strabismus surgery (CHEO), as well as oculoplastics and orbital surgical cases. Senior training years (PGY4/5) focus on mastering intraocular surgery, including cataract and complex anterior segment surgery.

Overall, residents have the opportunity to operate with 52 different attending staff, which allows exposure to different surgical styles and techniques. Resident surgical training is divided primarily into two separate sites: the Eye Institute and the Riverside Eye Care Centre. As a tertiary-care center, the Eye Institute exposes residents to more complex surgical cases and procedures than the Riverside Eye Care Centre (RECC). The RECC, in turn, is one of the highest volume outpatient eye surgical facilities in Canada, performing approximately 9,000 cataract operations and 2,000 retina, glaucoma, oculoplastic, and trauma operations annually.

Resident Research

The residents rotating through the Eye Institute and the Riverside Eye Care Centre have one half day per week dedicated to research. Our program continues to work with the residents to ensure they have protected time for their research endeavours.

The Departmental Research Day is a full day event featuring lectures from the visiting professor as well as the residents, the fellows, the Ophthalmic Medical Technology students and the basic science students.

To assist the residents in preparing for their research projects, teaching sessions are given on the Research Ethics Boards application process. Residents are also given guidance on how to approach research in a step-wise manner, in order to remain organized and on schedule.

Conference attendance

Residents are encouraged to present and attend conferences to facilitate their professional development. Residents are allotted seven days of conference or academic leave as per the most recent PARO collective agreement. Residents can apply for funding to attend conferences as described below.

All residents in our program also have their registration fee covered and are call-protected for the yearly Sally Letson Symposium. This conference is typically held in Ottawa (when it is in-person) and features many local speakers and a panel of international experts.

Funding opportunities

Residents can apply for up to $5,800 annually in funding for their research projects from our Research Day and Department of Ophthalmology Research Fund (DORF) Committees.

Research Personnel

There are dedicated Research Coordinators within the department which help residents conduct their research projects.

Department Research Day

Our department’s Research Day consists of a full day of presentations by the PGY 2, PGY-3 and PGY-4 Residents, the subspecialty fellows, the Ophthalmic Medical Technology (OMT) students in their final year, the basic science students, as well as a special, invited guest, the JD Allen Lecturer.

The Research Day is held annually in May. Our invited guest speaker starts off the day with a Grand Rounds presentation to the department, and subsequently gives the J.D. Allen named lecture during the early afternoon. Approximately 80-100 participants are in attendance every year: these are predominantly members of the Department of Ophthalmology, as well as invited guests. The day is full of short, high-level presentations, highlighting the research projects worked on by all the above-mentioned four groups of presenters. During our lunch break, attendees have an opportunity to attend the poster presentations. The Research Day is followed by a reception where prizes are awarded to the most highly ranked presentations

The program offers an eight-week period of protected time for electives. This time can be spent pursuing subspecialty interests, completing rural ophthalmology rotations, or partaking in international ophthalmology opportunities including but not limited to Orbis, India, Iqaluit and the Eye Van.

India Elective:

The program has a long-standing mutually supportive relationship with the Srikiran Institute of Ophthalmology (SIO) in Kakinada, India. Each year, fifth year residents have the opportunity to do an elective in the SIO. It offers residents a valuable opportunity to practice ophthalmology in a dramatically different clinical setting. In addition to comprehensive ophthalmology, SIO provides subspeciality services including pediatrics and strabismus, oculoplastics, cornea/anterior segment and retina/uveitis. Residents can tailor their experience based on individual interests and will see many things that you only read about in textbooks. A highlight of this elective is to learn to perform small incision cataract surgery through graded responsibility and mentorship from expert attendings.

Eye Van:

Residents have the opportunity to practice ophthalmology in Northern Ontario on the CNIB mobile Eye Van. The Eye Van is a mobile clinic equipped with facilities to perform complete ophthalmic examinations and perform minor surgical procedures such as YAG, SLT and retinal laser procedures. It travels to roughly 30 underserved communities in which the population is too small to support a local eye clinic. Residents will travel with a staff physician across multiple communities and see diverse and often more advanced eye conditions. Residents gain valuable experience in providing care in resource-limited settings, which is different from the majority of their training done in tertiary care centers.

Iqaluit:

The Baffin Island Elective rotation allows residents to provide service to Iqaluit and the surrounding communities that are included in the University of Ottawa’s large catchment area. The PGY-4 residents have the opportunity to visit Iqaluit for a week to provide eye care to everyone from children to the elderly. Many patients fly in from surrounding communities for their appointments, and are very appreciative of the care that they receive. A typical week for the residents consists of clinic, one day of OR, minor procedures and plenty of lasers!

Adnan Alawami, MD
Adnan completed medical school at Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University in Saudi Arabia. In his spare time, he enjoys spending time with family and friends and catching up on the latest soccer match.
Himabindu Veluri, MD
Himabindu completed medical school and postgraduate training in ophthalmology in India prior to starting residency at the University of Ottawa. Before medicine, she trained in Indian classical vocal music and dance and garnered several awards. Apart from work, she enjoys travelling, watching films, and learning about different cultures.
Wei Sim, MD
Wei completed medical school at Queen’s University. Prior to medicine, he trained in classical piano performance and holds degrees in music from Columbia University and the Eastman School of Music. Outside of work, he enjoys spending time with family and being involved in his church.
Fargol Mostofian, MD
Fargol completed medical school at the University of Ottawa and a research fellowship in Cornea and Refractive Surgery with Dr. Kashif Baig, prior to joining the Ottawa ophthalmology residency program in 2019. She is an avid oil painter and enjoys running, cooking and travelling in her free time.
Jeff Mah, MD
Jeff completed his undergraduate degree in Health Sciences at McMaster University followed by his medical degree at Queen’s University. Outside of the hospital, Jeff enjoys running and managing his slightly above average fantasy football team.
Mohammad Kreimei, MD
Mohammad completed his undergraduate medical education in the U.K. After graduating from St. Andrews University, he went on to complete his clinical training at the University of Manchester. He also earned his Masters's degree in medical research there. He is currently completing his residency training in Ophthalmology at the University of Ottawa. In his spare time, he enjoys swimming, playing tennis, and spending time with his family.
Henry Liu, MD
Henry completed his undergrad at the University of Toronto in Neuroscience and Psychology, and his medical training at the University of Ottawa. He looks forward to his next years with the Eye Institute team. In his spare time, Henry enjoys playing guitar, painting and close-up magic.
Jim Denstedt, MD
Jim Denstedt trained at Western University for his medical degree. During medical school, Jim worked with a 3D bioartificial tissue model of Tenon's capsule to model wound healing after glaucoma surgery and test candidate adjunctive anti-fibrotic compounds. In his free time, he is an avid musician and has played guitar from the age of 8, as well as drums, keyboard, and trumpet.
Pushpinder Kanda, MD, PhD
Pushpinder completed his undergraduate and Master’s degree at McMaster University, following which he entered the University of Ottawa’s MD/PhD program. He is an aspiring Ophthalmologist with a keen interest in research. During his Master’s, he worked on developing nano-scale devices to detect bacterial pathogens in various biological samples (e.g. blood) and consumer products (e.g. foods, and water). His PhD Research focused on understanding cardiac-stem cells physiology in order to develop a cell-based therapy to treat damaged hearts. During this time, he developed a novel nanohydrogel biomaterial used to encapsulate human cardiac-stem cells in order to enhance cell engraftment in the heart. His current research interest includes: 1) developing nano-scale diagnostic devices to detect various ocular diseases, 2) diagnostic utility of mfERG and, 3) optimizing therapy for patients with non-infectious uveitis. On his free time he likes to play squash and spend time with his son.
Cody Lo, MD
Cody completed medical school and received an undergraduate degree in Pharmacology from the University of British Columbia. He is involved in several research projects spanning a variety of areas within ophthalmology and has an interest in medical education. In his free time, he enjoys running, cycling, and golf.
Fred Feng, MD
Fred completed his medical school at the University of Ottawa. He has a strong passion for research in ocular oncology and presented at many local and international conferences. When not working, Fred enjoys cooking, traveling, badminton and video games. In his former life, Fred was a competitive gamer in the fighting game community.
Victoria Liu, MD
Victoria completed her medical school at McMaster University and a research fellowship in Cornea, Anterior Segment and Refractive Surgery in Ottawa prior to residency. In her spare time, she enjoys cooking, travelling and cross country skiing.
Jobanpreet Dhillon, MD, CM, MSc
Jobanpreet completed his Masters degree in Biomaterials and Stem Cell Therapy at Western University, followed by his medical training at McGill University. His research interests encompass an array of topics within ophthalmology, regenerative medicine, and medical education. In his spare time, Jobanpreet enjoys travelling, spending time with family and friends, and following Formula 1 racing.
Isaura Guerrero Cordova, MD
Deeksha Kundapur, MD

The University of Ottawa offers a five-year comprehensive training program in ophthalmology, leading to eligibility to write the Royal College specialty examination in Ophthalmology. The program features three main training sites: The University of Ottawa Eye Institute (world-class tertiary eye center), Riverside Eye Care Centre (community ophthalmology) and the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario (tertiary pediatric hospital).

PGY-1:

Residents rotate through a wide variety of services relevant to ophthalmology, including plastic surgery, ENT, emergency medicine, pediatric emergency medicine, ICU, neuroradiology, neurology, endocrinology and general internal medicine. There is a 4-week ambulatory block where residents personalize their training by organizing their own clinic schedule with preceptors from diverse services. Over the course of their PGY-1 year, residents will spend 6 weeks in the Emergency Eye Clinic to gain exposure to general ophthalmology. At the very end of the year, all PGY-1 residents attend a 6-week basic science course in ophthalmology called the Toronto Ophthalmology Residency Introductory Course (TORIC).

PGY-2:

Residents will spend this year involved in ambulatory care of eye patients at the University of Ottawa Eye Institute and Riverside Eye Care Centre. On a typical day, the residents participate in subspecialty teaching clinics in the morning. In the afternoon, residents are scheduled in the high-volume emergency eye clinic to acquire exposure to diverse ophthalmic pathologies. The program also features a Diagnostics rotation where the residents have dedicated time to learn about ophthalmic imaging (e.g., OCT, Optos, A- and B-scans, IOL Master, visual fields and ultrasonography), contact lens fitting and the management of low vision patients.

PGY-3:

The third year of training features a comprehensive rotation (totaling 20 weeks) in pediatric ophthalmology during which residents cover all aspects of this subspecialty. It is truly an immersive experience. Residents will also participate in a high volume of strabismus surgeries. The remainder of the year involves gaining proficiency in general and subspecialty clinics including glaucoma, anterior segment, retina, uveitis and neuro-ophthalmology.

PGY-4:

The highlight of this year is a five-month rotation focused on cataract surgery based at the Riverside Eye Care Centre. It is expected that residents will become progressively more independent with the steps of cataract surgery. The residents will also gain exposure to glaucoma, cornea, oculoplastic and vitreoretinal surgeries. Residents will continue to further their clinical skills in various subspecialties of ophthalmology.

PGY-5:

In the final year of residency, residents will function at an advanced level on different subspeciality services as well as gain the opportunity to experience community practices. Residents will have ample opportunities for electives outside of Ottawa tailored around their subspeciality interests, or areas they would like to further develop their skills. Residents will also be given protected time to study for the Royal College examination scheduled for May/June of their final year.

Program Development

Residents have many opportunities to give back and help improve the program. Each residency year has a representative on the Residency Training Committee (RTC), which meets regularly with Faculty. The Postgraduate Training Committee meets monthly to discuss all issues pertaining to the residency program. Changes are implemented as needed to address the changing needs and requirements of the residents. Key faculty and all residents are invited to participate.

Mentorship

Mentorship is an integral part of the program and is viewed as an important factor in the success of the residents. uOttawa Ophthalmology’s formal mentorship program pairs residents with a faculty mentor whom they meet with longitudinally throughout their residency. Attending physicians and residents also form many informal mentorship relationships. The program takes pride in the approachability and commitment of the attending physicians who make up the department.

Wellness

The new wellness program includes online modules, workshops three times per year in areas selected by resident polling, a wellness journal, as well as a resident wellness retreat, one of the highlights of the year. The department also has a Resident Wellness Lead, with training in peer support.

We are very fortunate to have had many outstanding ophthalmologists graduate from our residency training program. Our graduates are able to thrive in a variety of practice environments ranging from academic tertiary eye centers to rural community-based practices. Many of our graduates are accepted to high-ranking fellowship programs in the subspecialty of their choice. Here is a list of some of our graduates with their current appointments and other achievements.

2022 - Antony Theogene - Glaucoma fellowship at UdeM (Montreal, QC)
2022 - John Park - Surgical retina fellowship at UofT St. Michael’s Hospital (Toronto, ON)
2022 - Ioannis Dimopoulos - Medical retina and ocular genetics fellowship at National Eye Institute (Bethesda, MD)
2021 - Adrian Tsang - Uveitis Fellowship at UCSF (San Francisco, CA)
2021 - Nancy Chen – Comprehensive Ophthalmology Bellville
2020 - Irfan Kherani - GAASS Fellowship at UofT, Vision rehab Fellowship at UBC
2020 - Solin Saleh - Pediatric Ophthalmology and Adult Strabismus Fellow at Stanford University (Palo Alto, CA), Staff in Ottawa
2020 - Ricarda Bentham - Oculoplastics and Orbit Fellowship at UBC (Vancouver, BC)
2019 - Parnian Arjmand, surgical retina fellowship at UofT, surgical retina staff in California
2019 - Rahul Sharma - MPH at Harvard, Neuro-ophthalmology fellowship at Emory, Staff in Toronto
2019 - Kaisra Esmail - comprehensive ophthalmology in Red Deer Alberta
2019 - Saama Sabeti - MPH at Harvard, Cornea and External Disease Fellowship at the Université de Montréal, Staff in Ottawa
2018 - Vanessa Ellies - Pediatric Ophthalmology fellowship at Ottawa, Staff in North Bay, Ontario
2018 - Jennifer Gao - Glaucoma Fellowship at Dalhousie, Staff in Nova Scotia
2017 - Maryam Abtahi - Glaucoma Fellowship at UofA, Staff at Ottawa
2017 - Mustafa Kapasi - Comprehensive Ophthalmology at Dalhousie/Halifax
2017 - Stephanie Chan - Comprehensive Ophthalmology at Ottawa
2016 - Paul Bastianelli - Pediatrics and Adult Strabismus Fellowship at Ottawa, Staff in Nepean, ON
2016 - Manny Bal - Retina Fellowship at Queen’s, Staff at Queen’s/Kingston
2016 - Behrooz Azizi - Comprehensive Ophthalmology in Kitchener/Waterloo, Ontario
2013- Rustum Karanjia - Neuro-ophthalmology Fellowship at UCLA, Staff in Ottawa
Silvia Odorcic - Cornea Fellowship at Mass Eye and Ear, Staff in Toronto
2012 - Michael Dollin - Surgical Retina at Wills Eye Hospital, Staff in Ottawa
2011 -Rishi Gupta - Retina Fellowship at McGill University, Surgical Retina Staff at Dalhousie/Halifax, Author of “Reflections of a pupil”
2011- Setareh Ziai- Cornea Fellowship at University of Toronto, Staff in Ottawa
2011- Danah Albreiki - Neuro-Ophthalmology Fellowship uOttawa, Staff in Ottawa
2009- Enitan Sogbesan - Clinical and Research Fellowship in Glaucoma/Anterior Segment: UofA, Edmonton
2007- Andrew Merkur - Retina fellowship at John’s Hopkins Wilmer Eye Institute, Surgical Retina Staff at Vancouver/UBC
2007- David Albiani - Medical and Surgical Retina at the University of British Columbia, Surgical Retina Staff at Vancouver/UBC

Are you an alumnus and would like to add your information to this list? Please email [email protected]

Pre-clerks:

At the University of Ottawa, second year medical students have one week of ophthalmology through the Special Senses block. Medical students will experience a combination of didactic lectures and case-based learning sessions delivered by ophthalmologists and residents. There is also an opportunity for students to come to the Eye Institute for a hands-on skills session to learn to use the slit-lamp and perform a complete ophthalmic examination.

You may also have the opportunity to visit the program through observerships during preclerkship! Please see observerships below, or message Ginette Snook at [email protected] for more information.

Clerkship:

Clerks at the University of Ottawa can visit the program by doing a 1 or 2-week clinical ophthalmology elective. This rotation is available to 3rd and 4th year medical students. Activities will be held at the Eye Institute, The Ottawa Hospital, General or Riverside Campus, and the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario.

The student will be engaged in a well-rounded clinical experience involving general ophthalmology and sub-specialties of cornea/external disease, retina/vitreous, oculoplastics, neuro-ophthalmology, glaucoma and pediatric ophthalmology. Grand rounds are held Wednesday mornings and discussion on difficult cases, and subspecialty curriculum occurs many mornings during the week. The student will attend all the out-patient clinics and examine patients according to his/her ability, with supervision by staff and residents. One of the key features of this rotation is being involved in the Emergency Eye Clinic and being able to work with many staff and residents to see a wide variety of pathology. At the end of the rotation, the student should feel comfortable performing a detailed eye examination, and be able to recognize common ocular conditions. The student is not asked to participate in surgery but may observe. There will be no night duty as on-call is the duty of the residents.

You can register for these electives through the AFMC portal. Please message Ginette Snook at [email protected] for any questions.

Visiting electives:

Please note that visiting electives for clerkship students are managed through the AFMC portal. Visit AFMC portal for updates and further details, or you can visit uOttawa Visiting Students webpage.

Observership requests:

Observership requests for pre-clerks, clerks, and other medical professionals can be submitted to Ginette Snook at [email protected], the Departmental Education Program Coordinator. Applications for observerships must include the following in order to be considered, along with availability within the department.

Confirmation of licensure (physician) or Letter of good standing confirming registration from a recognized training program (medical student, resident, physician assistants trainees)
Updated CV
Immunizations:
Tuberculin skin testing
MMR immunity
Varicella immunity
Pertussis
Dates for observership period availability must be confirmed with the Department of Ophthalmology
Processing fee of $100.00 (CAD) (payable to: Medical Affairs – The Ottawa Hospital, 1053 Carling Avenue, Box 623, Ottawa, ON, K1Y 4E9) this can also be done with an IBAN number. (where applicable)

Once all of these documents and payment are received, these will be forwarded to the Ottawa Hospital Medical Affairs office for review (Approval/Declined).

Residents visiting electives:

We welcome residents from other training programs across the country and internationally! Please see the Postgraduate Medical Education Electives page for more details on the current situation and how to apply.

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