Neuro-Ophthalmology Fellowship

Program Director: Poonam Bansal, M.D.,
Henry Ford Hospital
2799 West Grand Blvd.
Eye Care Services, K-10
Detroit, MI 48202
email

Introduction

The Neuro-ophthalmology Fellowship at Henry Ford Hospital was founded and entered its first fellow in 1988 under the supervision of Dr. Barry Skarf. Since then, approximately 25 fellows have completed this one-year program.

Purpose

This fellowship in Clinical Neuro-ophthalmology provides research and clinical training in neurological, developmental, degenerative and systemic diseases which affect the ocular motor system and sensory visual pathway including retina, optic nerve, chiasm, optic tracts and optic radiations.
The mix of research and clinical training will vary for each fellow; however, all fellows in the Neuro-ophthalmology fellowship program will be supervised in a preceptorship arrangement.
Within the first few weeks, fellows will define their area of interest and formulate projects that will hopefully be completed within the prescribed period of time. Fellows may either join existing projects or initiate new ones.

Components

The components of the program described below will allow each fellow to construct a fellowship that will meet individual needs and interests. These components provide both basic and clinical research training in the diseases affecting the neurosensory visual pathway and the ocular motor system. There is an ongoing collaborative activity between different components of the program.

1. Out-Patient Neuro-Ophthalmology Service - Clinic, Department of Ophthalmology
   Resources: Patients with acute and chronic neuro-ophthalmological disorders referred for evaluation by internal and external staff and residents.
2. Neuro-Ophthalmology Inpatient Consultation Service, Department of Ophthalmology, Neurology and Neurological Surgery
   Resources: Patients admitted to hospital for a multiple variety of acute neurological and neurosurgical diseases with neuro-ophthalmological signs and symptoms.
3. Visual Electrophysiology Unit - Department of Ophthalmology
   Resources: Active clinical and research unit investigating retinal electrophysiology and visual pathway function. This includes facilities for performing standard full-field electroretinography, multifocal electroretinography (Veris® system) and pattern electroretinography, electro-oculography, contrast sensitivity testing, kinetic and static perimetry, and visual evoked potential testing.
4. Optic Nerve Imaging - Department of Ophthalmology
   Resources: Confocal Scanning Laser Ophthalmoscopy (Heidelberg Retinal Tomograph®) of the optic nerve heads and Ocular Coherence Tomography of the macula and optic nerve head, as well as conventional fundus photography and fluorescein angiography.
5. Ultrasonography Unit - Department of Ophthalmology
   Resources: Active clinical and research unit investigating both A- and B- mode contact and immersion ultrasonography of the eye and ocular adnexae.
6. Neuroradiology Unit - Department of Radiology
   Resources: An active clinical research unit with latest generation CT scanning, magnetic resonance imaging of the brain and orbits, and CT, MR and selective arteriography and venography of the carotids, intracranial and extracranial circulation.

Program design

Each fellow will be encouraged to participate in all components of the fellowship listed above. In addition to these components, the Fellow will interact daily with 15 ophthalmology residents in both a teaching and learning capacity and he/she will participate and contribute to the rounds, conferences, and lectures, which are held in the ophthalmology and various other related departments. Each fellow will have a one-year contract. Fellows interested in expanding their clinical research experience may be offered the opportunity to spend a second year in which they will carry out a specific program of clinical or laboratory research in addition to their other responsibilities.

Faculty

The Neuro-Ophthalmology fellowship program is under the supervision of two faculty members:

• Dr. Barry Skarf, Ph.D., M.D. - founder of the Fellowship program in 1988. Board certified in Ophthalmology
• Dr. Poonam Bansal M.D. – Fellowship Program Director
  Board certified in Neurology
  
  

Both Dr. Skarf and Dr. Bansal will supervise the outpatient and inpatient Neuro-ophthalmology consultation services and research opportunities for the fellows. The visual electrophysiology unit will be supervised by Dr. Barry Skarf and Dr. Paul Edwards. The supervisor for ultrasonography is Dr. David Crandall. There are ten neuroradiologists at Henry Ford who work exclusively in this area under the direction of Dr. Brent Griffith

Evaluation

The Program Director always works closely with the Fellow and provides supervision, feedback, and training in a preceptorship relationship. This also allows the program director to assess the skills, productivity, and knowledge of the Fellow. Formal evaluations take place quarterly (i.e., at 3, 6 and 9 months into the Fellowship) in writing on the standard forms used in our department to evaluate residents on subspecialty rotations. These evaluations are reviewed in person with the resident and are maintained in the Fellow's record. Following successful completion of the Fellowship year, a certificate of training is awarded by Henry Ford Health and the Fellow will also receive a final assessment and any Letters of Reference that may be required.

Application process

Applications should be submitted through the Central Application System of the San Francisco Matching Program.

Each year the application deadline will be per San Francisco Matching Program guidelines. Individual interviews will be conducted in October and November

.