Residency Program

A Message from our Program Director:

The ophthalmology residency program at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston is a busy, clinically oriented residency program located in the fourth largest city in the United States. The Texas Medical Center is the largest medical center in the world and provides our trainees with a diverse array of hospitals and patient populations. We have an integrated PGY1 year during which our residents will spend the first nine months with the internal medicine department and then the last three months in ophthalmology.

Our program is one of two level one trauma centers in the city of Houston and is the busiest level one trauma center in the country. The high volume comes with a wealth of oculoplastics and ophthalmic trauma experience for our residents. The Lyndon Baines Johnson County Hospital provides autonomous clinical and surgical experience for our residents. Through recent restructuring of the surgical program, our residents start in the operating room early in their training, which has allowed them to graduate with a large number of primary surgeon cases.

While the program is busy, we have balanced the clinical workload with the educational experience. Residents will spend about half of their training between services at the county hospital and education at the medical center. During the University rotations, the residents get a half day of academic time per week to pursue research projects, work on the surgical simulator and wet labs or engage in our wellness program. In addition, a half day of lecture time is protected for residents to receive lecture from the attending physicians. We have a dedicated resident research coordinator who guides our residents in completing a project from IRB to paper publication.

Our program is always looking towards the future and is consistently reinvesting in the residency through technology and a progressive mindset. Lectures are recorded so that they can be reviewed and watched at any time on our google drive network from a smart phone. We are expanding our wet lab curriculum and our residents have access to the Eyesi surgical simulator. We also have a Mind & Body Wellness Program that covers topics ranging from finance basics, mental health, physical wellness, and other personal development topics that can be reviewed during protected lecture time.

Our program has put a high premium on creating a cohesive and positive team-based culture in addition to providing outstanding education for our residents. We look forward to getting the chance to meet our future colleagues and thank you for your interest in our program.

 

Sincerely,
Ruchi Shah, MD
Program Director