Clinical Fellowship Training
The Proctor Foundation offers two distinct clinical fellowship training programs:
Fellowship Programs: Welcome/Program Goals
Welcome to the University of California San Francisco Department of Ophthalmology and Proctor Foundation. We are very proud of our fellowship programs and outstanding fellows. We train fellows in cornea, glaucoma, neuro-ophthalmology, ocular oncology, oculoplastics & reconstructive surgery, retina, and uveitis. We place high priority on the training of our clinical and research fellows, committed to fostering the careers of the next generation of ophthalmologists, educators, and clinician-scientists. Many have gone on to obtain their top choice position in academia, industry, or ophthalmic practice. In concert with our residency program, we strive to train the future leaders in ophthalmology.
Within each fellowship, the objectives are to train outstanding ophthalmologists in the subspecialty area of their choosing by exposing fellows to a wide variety of expert clinical and surgical approaches for complex and more straightforward ophthalmic diseases. In addition, fellows are provided close and dedicated mentorship with faculty and co-mentors with an eye towards career pathway development. Fellows are also exposed to research opportunities in order to hone skills needed as lifelong learners.
Faculty and Sites
Our clinical faculty consists of 35 full-time members in addition to our large associated faculty of more than 100 individuals including distinguished PhDs, Emeritus Professors, and visiting faculty, many of whom are world-renowned and are very active in our teaching programs. Fellows gain diverse training and experience through experiences at UCSF Medical Center, UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital, San Francisco Veterans Affairs Medical Center, and Zuckerburg San Francisco General Hospital.
Cornea/External Disease Fellowship
The Proctor Foundation and UCSF have a long tradition of training clinicians in the art of medical and surgical cornea. With the combination of outstanding clinical and surgical training, exposure to diverse faculty, unique research opportunities and a complex patient population, our fellows finish the 1-year program well equipped to manage complex medical and surgical cornea and uveitis. Our fellows successfully compete for positions in academia and private practice. Please visit this link for more information. To apply, please view our profile on the SFMatch website at www.SFMatch.org.
Uveitis Fellowship
This is a one-year uveitis fellowship, which provides clinical training in all aspects of uveitis, including uveitic cataract surgery and medical management with immunosuppression. Fellows will learn how to diagnose and manage diverse uveitic conditions, with an approximately even split between conditions primarily affecting the anterior and posterior segment. There is also time set aside for either clinical or laboratory research. A second year, focusing more on research, may be available when appropriate. Ongoing research programs include clinical trials, epidemiologic projects, and laboratory-based studies in infectious and inflammatory ocular disease. Fellows have clinical rotations with Dr. Acharya, Dr. Gonzales, Dr. Keenan, and Dr. Doan. To apply, please view our profile on the SFMatch website at www.SFMatch.org.
Seminars and educational activities associated with both clinical fellowship training programs include:
- One or more research projects, to be carried out with Proctor Foundation faculty members.
- Presentation of research at national meetings, including AAO, ARVO and subspecialty meetings.
- Participation in Proctor Clinic, Uveitis Clinic and weekly Proctor Service Rounds, which includes both cornea and uveitis cases, and provides clinical training in a setting that stimulates discussion of pathophysiologic and microbiologic aspects of specific disease entities.
- On Friday mornings, all Proctor Fellows and Ophthalmology Residents attend Kodachrome Conference, a didactic session where slides of unknowns are discussed by Drs. Keenan, Whitcher, Lietman, and Cunningham. During the year, there is comprehensive coverage of cornea, external disease and uveitis pathology.
- Fellows prepare and present a one-hour seminar on a specific topic in cornea and external diseases or uveitis during the year. Fellows also present individual cases discussions at the Department of Ophthalmology Grand Rounds several times a year.
- Fellows participate in weekly one-hour seminars on corneal disease and uveitis which include detailed discussion of degenerations, dystrophies, infectious and inflammatory diseases, cancers and corneal surgical procedures. Journal clubs are also conducted during the year.
Research Fellowship Training
Research fellows participate in didactic sessions, research projects and observe our clinical approach to the management of patients with ocular infectious and inflammatory eye disease. However, they cannot have direct responsibility for clinical care or perform surgical procedures. The primary responsibilities for research fellows is to design and execute well constructed projects. They may also attend organized teaching sessions as described in the Clinical Fellowship Training section. The research training program may include exposure to clinical activities at the Proctor Foundation without direct patient care responsibilities. These activities include cornea and refractive surgery, external disease and uveitis clinics, as well as specialty clinics for Sjögren’s syndrome, and AIDS-related ocular disease. Clinical and research faculty involved in research fellowship training at the Proctor Foundation are Drs. Richard Abbott, Nisha Acharya, John Gonzales, David Hwang, Jeremy Keenan, Thomas Lietman, Thuy Doan, Jennifer Rose-Nussbaumer, Julie Schallhorn, Douglas Holsclaw, and Stephen McLeod.
PROCTOR FELLOWSHIPS
Cornea / External Disease Clinical Fellowship
Uveitis Clinical Fellowship
Cecilia Vaughan Postdoctoral International Research Fellowship
Current Fellows
Aaron Dotson, MD
Alekya Rajanala, MD
Blake Snyder, MD
Residency:
University of Iowa
Residency:
University of Washington
Residency:
UC Davis
2023-2024 Fellows
2022-2023 Fellows
2021-2022 Fellows
Hui Zhao, MD, PhD
Christine Benador-Shen, MD
Adrian Tsang, MD
2020-2021 Fellows
2019-2020 Fellows
Travis Redd, MD, MPH
- Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, MD, MPH
- Legacy Medical Group, Portland, Internship
- Casey Eye Institute, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, Residency
Kareem Moussa, MD
- Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, MD
- Santa Clara Valley Medical Center, San Jose, Internship
- University of California, San Francisco, Residency
2018-2019 Fellows
Michele Lee, MD
- Columbia University, MD
- Mount Sinai St. Lukes - Roosevelt, Internship
- Stanford, Residency
Edmund Tsui, MD
- Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, MD
- Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, Internship
- New York University School of Medicine, Resident
Plern Sutra, MD
- Chulalongkorn University, MD
- Khon Khaen University, Residency
- Khon Khaen University, Specialist
2017-2018 Fellows
Yijie Brittany Lin, MD
- Harvard University, MD, MBA
- Scripps Mercy Hospital San Diego, Transitional Year Internship
- New York Eye and Ear Infirmary, Ophthalmology Resident
Varun Pawar, MD
- University of Cincinnati, MD
- University of Cincinnati, Internal Medicine Internship
- St. Louis University, Ophthalmology Resident
Kaidi Wang, MD
- Harvard Medical School, MD
- Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, Transitional Year Internship
- Stanford University, Ophthalmology Resident
Taniya Bhoopat, MD
- Chiangmai University, Chiangmai, Thailand, MD
- Chiangmai University Hospital, Internship
- Chiangmai University, Chiangmai, Thailand, Ophthalmology Resident
- King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital, Bangkok, Thailand, Fellow in cornea and refractive surgery
2016-2017 Fellows
Jessica Shantha, MD
- Morehouse School of Medicine, MD
- Presbyterian St. Lukes Hospital, Denver, CO, Medical Internship
- Emory University Atlanta, GA, Ophthalmology Residency
Peter Ryg, MD
- Jefferson Medical College, Philadelphia, PA, MD
- Washington Hospital Center, Washington, DC, Medical Internship
- Yale-New Haven Hospital, New Haven, CT, Ophthalmology Residency
Dipal Shah, MD
- Rutgers – New Jersey Medical School, MD
- Lenox Hill Hospital, New York, NY, Medical Internship
- Northwell Health, Great Neck, NY, Ophthalmology Residency
2015-2016 Fellows
Wipada Laovirojjanakul, MD, Postdoctoral Research Fellow
- Chulalongkorn University, MD
- Khon Kaen University, Thailand, Medical Internship
- KKU Eye Center, Khon Kaen University, Ophthalmology Residency and Retina Fellowship
Nina Ni, MD, Cornea Fellow
- Harvard College, BA
- Yale School of Medicine, MD
- Kaiser San Francisco, Internal Medicine Internship
- Wills Eye Hospital, Ophthalmology Residency
Tova Mannis, MD, Cornea Fellow
2014-2015 Fellows
Michael Geske, MD, Cornea Fellow
- Washington University in St. Louis, MD, MA
- University of California, San Francisco, Surgical Internship
- University of California, San Francisco, Ophthalmology Resident
Jeffrey Golen, MD, Cornea Fellow
- University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, MD
- University of South Florida, Medical Internship
- University of South Florida, Ophthalmology Resident
Priya Janardhana, MD, Uveitis Fellow
- Boston University, MD
- Boston University, Medical Internship
- Boston University, Ophthalmology Resident
Weeraya Pimolrat, MD, Postdoctoral Research Fellow
- Mahidol University, MD
- Trang Hospital, Medical Internship
- Chiang Mai University, Ophthalmology Resdident
2013-2014 Fellows
Neil Chungfat, MD, MEng, Cornea Fellow
- Northwestern University, MD
- Cedars Sinai Medical Center, Medical Internship
- University of Wisconsin, Ophthalmology Residency
Julie Schallhorn, MD, MS, Uveitis Fellow
- University of Southern California, MD
- Huntington Hospital, Surgical Internship
- University of California, San Francisco, Ophthalmology Residency
Joseph Sheehan, MD, MS, Cornea Fellow
- Boston University, MD
- Boston University, Medical Internship
- Boston University, Ophthalmology Residency
Nutto Somkijrongroj, MD, Postdoctoral Research Fellow
- Pramongkutklao College of Medicine, MD
- Suranaree Hospital, Medical Internship
- Armed Forces Academies Preparatory School Hospital, Internship
- Rajavithi Hopital, Ophthalmology Residency
- King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital, Retina Fellowship
2012-2013 Fellows
Elizabeth Grace, MD, Cornea Fellow
- University of Iowa, MD
- Kaiser Permanente Hospital, Medical Internship
- University of Illinois Eye and Ear Infirmary, Ophthalmology Residency
Waroonchat Issariyapat, MD, Postdoctoral Research Fellow
- Mahidol University, MD
- Songklanagarind Hospital, Medical Internship
- Ramathibodi Hospital, Ophthalmology, Residency
- Mahidol University, Cornea and Refractive Surgery Fellowship
Vincent Lam, MD, Uveitis Fellow
- St. George’s University, MD
- Mount Sinai School of Medicine, Medical Internship
- Virginia Commonwealth University, Ophthalmology Residency
Jennifer Rose-Nussbaumer, MD, Cornea Fellow
- University of California, San Francisco, MD
- Legacy Emanuel Medical Center, Transitional Internship
- Oregon Health Science University, Ophthalmology Residency