Hello all,
First off, congrats to all those who matched! It's a huge accomplishment and worthy of celebration. For those that didn't match, don't give up just yet. I was in your shoes at this point last year trying to make those difficult "what the heck do I do now" decisions. I wanted to take a minute to put in a plug for the research year that I did to help improve my application and bolster my chances of matching this year, which I ultimately did.
I spent the last nine months doing a research year with Dr. Rich Davis at UNC - Chapel Hill and it was an outstanding experience. First off, the year was productive. Our team has published multiple papers, have several others under review for publication and I am in the process of writing manuscripts for a few more. Dr. Davis focuses on clinical research in dry eye disease and we have several prospective studies in progress. Additionally, the whole department was extremely supportive of our research efforts and I had the chance to work with many other faculty members, allowing me to network better. If research is a weak point on your application, please consider this position.
Beyond the research, I was able to spend a considerable time in clinic with Dr. Davis and others in the department. Dr. Davis is really great about letting you make your own schedule (i.e. clinic/OR vs. write papers). We've had research fellows alternate between clinic/OR time, subject recruitment, and manuscript writing. I've also been able to capitalize on many of the resources available to the residents, including their lectures, teaching conferences and weekly wet lab sessions in their state-of-the-art wet lab.
Finally, and most importantly, the biggest benefit to working with Dr. Davis is his mentorship and the love of ophthalmology he will instill in you. From day one, he worked hard to make sure that I was doing was I needed to do to give me the best possible shot at matching the 2nd time around. He wrote me a LOR that was commented on at nearly every interview I attended this year. He gave me as much time off as I needed to attend all of my interviews. His mentorship and this research position are the reasons that I matched this year.
If you would be interested in working with Dr. Davis for the 2019-2020 year, or if you have any questions, please feel free to PM me. Its been an incredible experience and I would do it again without hesitation.
First off, congrats to all those who matched! It's a huge accomplishment and worthy of celebration. For those that didn't match, don't give up just yet. I was in your shoes at this point last year trying to make those difficult "what the heck do I do now" decisions. I wanted to take a minute to put in a plug for the research year that I did to help improve my application and bolster my chances of matching this year, which I ultimately did.
I spent the last nine months doing a research year with Dr. Rich Davis at UNC - Chapel Hill and it was an outstanding experience. First off, the year was productive. Our team has published multiple papers, have several others under review for publication and I am in the process of writing manuscripts for a few more. Dr. Davis focuses on clinical research in dry eye disease and we have several prospective studies in progress. Additionally, the whole department was extremely supportive of our research efforts and I had the chance to work with many other faculty members, allowing me to network better. If research is a weak point on your application, please consider this position.
Beyond the research, I was able to spend a considerable time in clinic with Dr. Davis and others in the department. Dr. Davis is really great about letting you make your own schedule (i.e. clinic/OR vs. write papers). We've had research fellows alternate between clinic/OR time, subject recruitment, and manuscript writing. I've also been able to capitalize on many of the resources available to the residents, including their lectures, teaching conferences and weekly wet lab sessions in their state-of-the-art wet lab.
Finally, and most importantly, the biggest benefit to working with Dr. Davis is his mentorship and the love of ophthalmology he will instill in you. From day one, he worked hard to make sure that I was doing was I needed to do to give me the best possible shot at matching the 2nd time around. He wrote me a LOR that was commented on at nearly every interview I attended this year. He gave me as much time off as I needed to attend all of my interviews. His mentorship and this research position are the reasons that I matched this year.
If you would be interested in working with Dr. Davis for the 2019-2020 year, or if you have any questions, please feel free to PM me. Its been an incredible experience and I would do it again without hesitation.
