Fellowships
| Downtown (713) 659-3937 East Houston Eye Center (713) 453-3521 Webster/Clear Lake (281) 332-1559 |
Charles A. Garcia, M.D., P.A.
Program Director:
Charles A. Garcia, MD
Preceptors:
Charles A. Garcia, MD
John A. McCrary, MD
Mauricio E. Pons, M.D.
Thomas C. Prager, PhD, MPH
Duration:
Two years; one year for applicants interested in
medical retina
Number of Fellows:
One First Year;
One Second Year
Charles A. Garcia, MD
Preceptors:
Charles A. Garcia, MD
John A. McCrary, MD
Mauricio E. Pons, M.D.
Thomas C. Prager, PhD, MPH
Duration:
Two years; one year for applicants interested in
medical retina
Number of Fellows:
One First Year;
One Second Year
Application Information Letter
Fellowship Application
Formal teaching / training
The fellowship was established in 1980. More than 50 practicing vitreo-retinal
surgeons in the USA and abroad have graduated from this program. This
fellowship offers two years of training in medical and surgical retina, with
exposure to a wide variety of retinal pathologies. The training is weighted toward
the management of diabetic retinopathy and ARMD. Opportunities for clinical and
basic science research are available. The fellowship is based at the Accreditation
Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) approved residency program of
The University of Texas Medical School Department of Ophthalmology and Visual
Sciences.
Fellows will learn to manage a variety of retinal and vitreous conditions including
retinal detachment, retinal-vascular diseases, macular diseases, retino-choroidal
degenerative and hereditary diseases, ocular oncology, posterior Uveitis, and
infectious retinal-choroidal diseases. Experience is gained through formal and
informal didactic teaching, study of clinical material (examination, evaluation,
treatment and discussion of patients) and analysis of pertinent literature. Patient
facilities are equipped with state-of-the art ophthalmic diagnostic tools, including
digital fluorescein angiography, indocyanin green angiography, ultrasonography
electroretinography. At the completion of the training, the fellow should become
well versed in the interpretation of these diagnostic tests and is encouraged to
become familiar with how to perform most of these tests.
The laser machines available are the following: Pascal, Coherent Novus 2000,
Iridex Oculight infrared laser console with all available delivery devices,Zeiss
Visulas laser console, and a photoactivator for Visudyne therapy.
During the fellowship, the fellow is trained for a clinical and an academic career.
Activities are designed to provide excellent hands-on training in medical and
surgical vitreo-retinal diseases for residency-trained ophthalmologists. The fellow is
responsible for outpatient and inpatient care. She/he participates in the evaluation
and management of at least 400 surgical cases per year. Prior to completion of
the program, the fellow completes approximately 150 vitreo-retinal surgeries as
primary surgeon, and approximately 300 laser procedures. The fellow is required to
participate in 50% of grand rounds, ethics lectures, journal clubs and 75% of the
lectures related to vitreo-retinal topics conducted by the Department of
Ophthalmology at the Cizik Eye Center. The fellow will actively participate in the
education of medical students, optometry students, and ophthalmology residents.
Clinics
Patient care is provided in clinics that cover a wide geographic part of the Houston
metropolitan area. The main office is at the Medical Place One building affiliated
with the St. Joseph Medical Center in downtown Houston. The second clinic is at
the Cizik Eye Center, affiliated with Hermann Hospital in the Medical
Center. Two satellite clinics are also available in Webster and East Houston and
are 15-30 minutes away by car from the main office.
Operating rooms
The surgeon has a choice between the Accurus high speed vitrectomy machine or
the Storz procedures. Contact and non-contact wide angle viewing systems are
available. Operations are performed at St. Joseph Medical Center, Gram mercy
Surgical Center, and Cizik Eye Center.
Research facilities
The Retinal Vascular Center, located at Medical Place One, coordinates all ongoing
clinical trials.
Collaborative research agreements have been established with the Texas Center for
Superconductivity and Advanced Materials at the University of Houston, where
some of the preceptors have faculty appointments.
National Meetings
The fellow attends two national meetings of their choice every year. Meetings
recently attended include: the Association for Research in Vision and
Ophthalmology Annual Meeting; The Cleveland Clinic Vitreo-retinal Update
Course; Vitreo-retinal Fellows Meeting, Chicago; the Vitreous Society Meeting and
the American Academy of Ophthalmology Meeting.
Research
Research projects in which the current fellows are involved:
(DRCR.net) funded studies to evaluate modalities for treatment of diabetic
retinopathy.
Two labs are available at the UT-Basic Science research building for basic research.
The animal facility at the UT-Dental School houses the rabbits used in the animal
experiments.
Fellowship Application
Formal teaching / training
The fellowship was established in 1980. More than 50 practicing vitreo-retinal
surgeons in the USA and abroad have graduated from this program. This
fellowship offers two years of training in medical and surgical retina, with
exposure to a wide variety of retinal pathologies. The training is weighted toward
the management of diabetic retinopathy and ARMD. Opportunities for clinical and
basic science research are available. The fellowship is based at the Accreditation
Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) approved residency program of
The University of Texas Medical School Department of Ophthalmology and Visual
Sciences.
Fellows will learn to manage a variety of retinal and vitreous conditions including
retinal detachment, retinal-vascular diseases, macular diseases, retino-choroidal
degenerative and hereditary diseases, ocular oncology, posterior Uveitis, and
infectious retinal-choroidal diseases. Experience is gained through formal and
informal didactic teaching, study of clinical material (examination, evaluation,
treatment and discussion of patients) and analysis of pertinent literature. Patient
facilities are equipped with state-of-the art ophthalmic diagnostic tools, including
digital fluorescein angiography, indocyanin green angiography, ultrasonography
electroretinography. At the completion of the training, the fellow should become
well versed in the interpretation of these diagnostic tests and is encouraged to
become familiar with how to perform most of these tests.
The laser machines available are the following: Pascal, Coherent Novus 2000,
Iridex Oculight infrared laser console with all available delivery devices,Zeiss
Visulas laser console, and a photoactivator for Visudyne therapy.
During the fellowship, the fellow is trained for a clinical and an academic career.
Activities are designed to provide excellent hands-on training in medical and
surgical vitreo-retinal diseases for residency-trained ophthalmologists. The fellow is
responsible for outpatient and inpatient care. She/he participates in the evaluation
and management of at least 400 surgical cases per year. Prior to completion of
the program, the fellow completes approximately 150 vitreo-retinal surgeries as
primary surgeon, and approximately 300 laser procedures. The fellow is required to
participate in 50% of grand rounds, ethics lectures, journal clubs and 75% of the
lectures related to vitreo-retinal topics conducted by the Department of
Ophthalmology at the Cizik Eye Center. The fellow will actively participate in the
education of medical students, optometry students, and ophthalmology residents.
Clinics
Patient care is provided in clinics that cover a wide geographic part of the Houston
metropolitan area. The main office is at the Medical Place One building affiliated
with the St. Joseph Medical Center in downtown Houston. The second clinic is at
the Cizik Eye Center, affiliated with Hermann Hospital in the Medical
Center. Two satellite clinics are also available in Webster and East Houston and
are 15-30 minutes away by car from the main office.
Operating rooms
The surgeon has a choice between the Accurus high speed vitrectomy machine or
the Storz procedures. Contact and non-contact wide angle viewing systems are
available. Operations are performed at St. Joseph Medical Center, Gram mercy
Surgical Center, and Cizik Eye Center.
Research facilities
The Retinal Vascular Center, located at Medical Place One, coordinates all ongoing
clinical trials.
Collaborative research agreements have been established with the Texas Center for
Superconductivity and Advanced Materials at the University of Houston, where
some of the preceptors have faculty appointments.
National Meetings
The fellow attends two national meetings of their choice every year. Meetings
recently attended include: the Association for Research in Vision and
Ophthalmology Annual Meeting; The Cleveland Clinic Vitreo-retinal Update
Course; Vitreo-retinal Fellows Meeting, Chicago; the Vitreous Society Meeting and
the American Academy of Ophthalmology Meeting.
Research
Research projects in which the current fellows are involved:
(DRCR.net) funded studies to evaluate modalities for treatment of diabetic
retinopathy.
Two labs are available at the UT-Basic Science research building for basic research.
The animal facility at the UT-Dental School houses the rabbits used in the animal
experiments.
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