University of Chicago

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Andrew_Doan

Andrew_Doan

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  1. Attending Physician
Can anyone in the know offer some insight into the U Chicago program? I have heard bad things about it from my advisor at school, who said the ophtho dept has been having troubles (the previous chair was asked to leave and how ophtho isn't its own department but a division of surgery instead). Does anyone have better information on the state of the residency program and how these things have affected the program quality if at all?
 
That's true! I was a resident in Chicago metro area (but not in U of C) the department has no freedom in decision making and everyone if affected, that's what I've heard from the insiders.
 
I would not necessarily say all of that is true. I interviewed at UChicago and was very impressed! They have had their issues in the past, but per the residents, it didn't effect their education. The current PGY4s matched at some very competitive fellowships, and they all were very proud of the training they were receiving. I ranked it high in the end.
 
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As an ex-resident of this program, I would have to agree with the last post. The issue with the ex-chairman was back in 2008, things have long since stabilized. My training overall, despite the changes that occured in our first year, was quite good. There are 3 residents per class and we were the only hospital providing eye care for the South Side of Chicago, so our surgical numbers were pretty good (150 cataracts, 25 core vitrectomies, average for plastics at the time, above average for everything else). A major strength was the patient population, who were extremely appreciative of the care we provided. For the most part, there was no distinction between 'resident' and 'attending' surgical cases, which was great. The affiliate hospital (North Shore) had an entirely resident-run clinic as well, where the residents generate a lot of cases. The faculty are extremely dedicated and go to bat for the residents every year when applying for jobs or fellowships. Plastics training was a little weak when I was there, this may or may not have been addressed. The current senior class I heard matched at NY Eye and Ear for surgical retina, U of Utah/Moran Eye for surgical retina and the other resident is going to Mass Eye & Ear for glaucoma.
 
Correct, except the retina fellowship matched at NYU (not NYEEI)
 
She matched at New York Eye & Ear. NYU does not have a retina fellowship. I also incidentally ran into her over the weekend, so my knowledge is first-hand.
 
uchicagophtho said:
She matched at New York Eye & Ear. NYU does not have a retina fellowship. I also incidentally ran into her over the weekend, so my knowledge is first-hand.
Click to expand...

Ok thank you, mine was second hand from a good source (who made a mistake) 🙂
 
I trained in Chicago and still practice around the area. Personally, I have not been impressed with U of C residents or faculty. I have certainly met a decent number of them. I have NO firsthand knowledge of the inner workings of the program, this is just an opinion. I definitely have heard terrible things about the politics in the department, but this may be typical for an academic institution.
 
7ontheline said:
I trained in Chicago and still practice around the area. Personally, I have not been impressed with U of C residents or faculty. I have certainly met a decent number of them. I have NO firsthand knowledge of the inner workings of the program, this is just an opinion. I definitely have heard terrible things about the politics in the department, but this may be typical for an academic institution.
Click to expand...
As an interviewer, I second this general opinion.

I felt bad for the residents, one of whom was from MIT, the other Harvard. I can't imagine what they might have thought matching at a place with such confusing circumstances and inter-departmental politics. These are some high power people, admittedly getting the fellowships they want (despite their school).
 
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Does anyone have any updated info or thoughts on the program?
 
The political issues have been resolved, due in large part to a new dea of the medical school and increased funding. Ophthalmology has been re-established as a Department (no longer a section of the surgery department, although their website needs to be updated). A faculty search is under way for a new Chairman currently, who will take over in the summer. There is a major commitment from the university for hiring of many new faculty members and expansion of clinical space at the main campus. While change will take time, this program will be potentially very different in coming years. Stay tuned.
 
Any updates or thoughts about this program, please?
 
This program is completely different from years prior. The chair, Dr. Colby, from Mass Eye, has completely turned around the program. The clinical space at the university has expanded and the university has also opened up a new ophthalmology clinic downtown. Many new faculty have been recruited in every specialty. I am not aware of the nuts and bolts of the residency program, but I can confidently say this department has gained a lot of ground already and is on the rise.
 
Update on the program: wanted to share some news learnt recently
Pros: good numbers for Chicago; new clinic space; trauma center boosts trauma numbers; northern suburb location for 3 months during 1st and 2nd year; cataract surgical curriculum includes premium IOLs, MIGS, etc (Very unique for a program)
Cons: multiple faculty members have left, including teaching attendings who did bulk of surgery and MIGS/special IOL education (so unlikely to get much exposure to these); lots of politics; residents appear very confused and unhappy
 
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