Fellowship Programs

The University of North Carolina offers a one-year Glaucoma Fellowship under faculty mentors Donald Budenz, MD, MPH, David Fleischman, MD, FACS, and Meredith Klifto, MD. The fellowship provides extensive training in all aspects of the diagnosis, clinical care and surgical management of glaucoma. While strong clinical training is the core of the program, research opportunities (both clinical and basic science) abound. Our program is supplemented by the invaluable contribution of Dr. Jean-Claude Mwanza, a renowned glaucoma, imaging and global health expert.

The two-year Vitreoretinal Fellowship at the University of North Carolina (UNC) at Chapel Hill is a Association of University Professors of Ophthalmology Fellowship Compliance Committee (AUPO-FCC) compliant medical and surgical fellowship. Our program provides extensive training in all aspects of the diagnosis, clinical care and surgical management of vitreoretinal disorders.

Led by Vitreo-Retinal Surgery Fellowship Program Director J Niklas Ulrich, MD, and clinically mentored by Alice Zhang, MD (VR surgery), Keirnan Willett, MD (VR surgery), Beatrice Brewington, MD (Medical Retina), Arpita Maniar, MBBS (Ocular Oncology) and Alessandro Iannaccone, MD (Inherited Retinal Disease), the program accepts one applicant every year. While strong clinical training is the core of the program, clinical or basic science research opportunities are available and strongly encouraged.

UNC Ophthalmology additionally offers a one-year Cornea, External Diseases & Refractive Surgery fellowship program, led by Mohammad Soleimani, MD, FICO, and clinically mentored by Sinthu Ranjan, MD, and Hussam Banna, MD. This AUPO-FCC compliant program offers comprehensive exposure to a wide range of corneal and external ocular diseases and mastery of cornea, ocular surface, and complex anterior segment surgeries. This fellowship program offers the option of a second year focusing on advanced surgical skills and research if the fellow is qualified and based on recruitment committee consensus.

Fellowship program applicants should submit any questions to ophth@med.unc.edu, or directly to the Fellowship Program Director.