The Best Ophthalmology Programs - 2008

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Corn dog- what do you mean by "top ten residency programs"? Could u provide a link?

OT rankings are divided into 4 categories: best overall, research, clinical (pt care), and residency programs. Each category lists top 10 programs. The 10 programs listed under "best residency program" in OT was what I was referring to.

Link: http://www.modernmedicine.com/moder...eDetail.jsp?id=467217&sk=&date=& &pageID=3

It's figure 3.

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Best Overall: 1) Bascom, 2) UCLA, 3) Baylor, 4) Emory, 5) UCSF
IMHO, these programs had the total package for the resident. High clinical and surgical volume, emphasis on teaching, adequate preparation for comprehensive and fellowship, research opportunities available IF you want it, everything you need as a resident. Also, I don’t see the difference between “Best Overall”, “Best Clinical,” and “Best Surgical.” Seems silly and nit-picky.

Best Research: 1) Wilmer, 2) Penn, 3) MEEI, 4) UCLA, 5) Iowa
Great research going on at these places, but I'm not sure how important this is for applicants/residents (I am MD/PhD by the way). May be more important when applying for faculty positions.

Happiest Residents: 1) Duke, 2) UPenn, 3) UCSF, 4) UCLA, 5) Wills
Residents here could not stop talking about how much they loved their program. Everyone seemed happy and not stressed out.

Most Over-rated: 1) Hopkins, 2) MEEI, 3) UPenn, 4) Wills
You always here about these programs as being "the best". But their surgical numbers are low, you don’t have as much autonomy, and they (except Wills) spent way too much time talking about research when they could've spent that time in the OR or clinic. Besides Wills, few of their graduates pursue comprehensive, which made me wonder if they felt comfortable enough on their own.

Most Under-rated: 1) Casey, 2) UT Southwestern, 3) Oklahoma, 4) Several others
Programs like these are why Top 10 lists are so annoying. They probably would be included in a top 20 or 30 list. These programs need more recognition.

These are just my opinions. You should try to form your own.
 
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Besides Wills, few of their graduates pursue comprehensive, which made me wonder if they felt comfortable enough on their own.

Do you think this also reflects that the type of individual deciding to attend one of these "top" institutions chooses one of these places because of the excellent record of streamlining residents into fellowship spots. Just a thought....
 
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Do you think this also reflects that the type of individual deciding to attend one of these "top" institutions chooses one of these places because of the excellent record of streamlining residents into fellowship spots. Just a thought....

Absolutely. This must be one of the factors. But residency is 3 years. A lot can change within that time. IMO, the environment in which you train is more likely to effect your decision to pursue comprehensive vs academic as compared to your perceptions of ophthalmology prior to training. Different programs have different emphasis and philosophies. Let me stress that I'm not saying one philosophy is better than the other. It's up to you to decide what you want and how much you are willing to let others (SDN, OT, PDs, classmates, me, etc) influence your decisions.
 
I really like Jim's list and I cannot agree more. Some comments about his list:

Best Overall: 1) Bascom, 2) UCLA, 3) Baylor, 4) Emory, 5) UCSF
Bascaom is THE best, no question about it. I maybe biased about Baylor since I trained there, but the clinical training and the emphasis on support and education for the residents are outstanding.

Most Over-rated: 1) Hopkins, 2) MEEI, 3) UPenn, 4) Wills
I do not know why Hopkins is on so many people's list as the one of the best, but surgical volume is on the low side and residents look tired and overworked.

Most Under-rated: 1) Casey, 2) UT Southwestern, 3) Oklahoma, 4) Several others
Agree with all of these as well, also Kresge, U Washington as many others have suggested here.
 
In defense of lists, many of the top ophthalmology programs are not always at institutions that are considered top medical schools (with numerous exceptions) so without these lists potential applicants wouldn't always know where to apply (although nowadays, everyone applies everywhere). At least, that was the case for me. Of course many ophtho programs get "bumps" from their institutional reputation (see prev Colorado vs. Baylor) debate which doesn't necessarily translate to actual training.

I wholeheartedly agree with ranking schools according to resident happiness however it is next to impossible to judge this based on the interview trail- with the exception of occasional red flags from overworked residents during interview days, almost all residents gush over the program at interview day because they want good residents at their program- but I guess in an imperfect system is better than none.

Rankings should almost be by specialty- when it comes to getting fellowships it makes a HUGE difference who the faculty are in the specialty and who they know.

Happiest Residents: Casey

I saw someone put UCLA for happiest residents, which make me laugh.
 
In defense of lists, many of the top ophthalmology programs are not always at institutions that are considered top medical schools (with numerous exceptions) so without these lists potential applicants wouldn't always know where to apply (although nowadays, everyone applies everywhere). At least, that was the case for me. Of course many ophtho programs get "bumps" from their institutional reputation (see prev Colorado vs. Baylor) debate which doesn't necessarily translate to actual training.

I wholeheartedly agree with ranking schools according to resident happiness however it is next to impossible to judge this based on the interview trail- with the exception of occasional red flags from overworked residents during interview days, almost all residents gush over the program at interview day because they want good residents at their program- but I guess in an imperfect system is better than none.

Rankings should almost be by specialty- when it comes to getting fellowships it makes a HUGE difference who the faculty are in the specialty and who they know.

Happiest Residents: Casey

I saw someone put UCLA for happiest residents, which make me laugh.

I thought the UCLA residents were quite happy enough. Had dinner with them the night before. They are an intense group, some were cocky, and they admitted to working more than most ophtho residents, but they were quite happy with that since they felt like it translated to superior training. I guess it would be up to the applicant to decide whether this attitude applies to you, because it certainly did not apply to me....I don't think I would've been as happy with that work load. They also tried hard to convince me that all the rumors regarding malignancy were not true and I liked how UCLA actually gave us a lot of face time with the residents despite their workload, unlike some other programs.

Honestly, I think ranking programs is silly and only good to stroke your ego. I agree with KHE.....you should (try to) go to the best program for you. Seriously....we are getting too old for this. I just wanted to chime in because no matter how hard I try, I cannot correlate what I saw on the interview trail to OT best residency rankings. It's obviously rigged.
 
So I guess I am writing this as a resident who goes to the "5th best residency program in th country." The fact that I have just completed phaco #50 and it is only October in combination with the pathology, autonomy and research opportunities that i have had over the past three years makes Doheny the best program in the country for me. And no, I am not just saying this knowing that USC faculty (and perhaps Dr. Smith) might be reading this thread. On the flip side, the autonomy, and hight clinical and surgical volumes of this residency may make it the WORST program for some applicants. The high ranking of a program will not make you an excellent ophthalmologist. There have been some fantastic ophthalmologists produced at programs that OT fails to mention and there have been some subpar ophthalmologists produced by programs that USNews consistantly ranks in the top 10. You will get out of an ophthalmology residency (ANY residency) what you put into it. The best peice of advice I can give (and if you interview at Doheny, you will hear me repeat it again) is to analyze the work and educational environment that you thrive in best. Then, rank highly those programs that will foster those attributes. My point being, don't go to Bascom just b/c OT says it is numer #1. Go see for yourself. Don't ignore Wilmer b/c someone on this forum thinks it's overrated. Go see for yourself. Do exactly what JimBeezie did and judge for yourself how happy the residents of a particular program are. Good luck to all during the next few months!
 
1) Best Overall Residency Program: Emory

2) Best Research Program: Mayo Clinic/Wash U

3) Best Surgical Training: UAB

4) Best Clinical Training: Emory

5) Diamond in the Rough: U Tenn
 
Thanks for the compilation Corn Dog! I was also trying to do this on a spreadsheet but never got around to it! :p

Also, just a random side note, #27 Memorial Hermann Hospital's Ophthalmology Department is completely run by UT Houston faculty and residents!

There are alot of hospitals on this list that are affiliated with an Ophthalmology Residency program, but is not listed as such.

Here are the rankings (#1 to #90) according to the US News 2008. As you can see, not all hospitals listed have their own ophtho residency programs. Any thoughts?

1 Bascom Palmer Eye Institute at the University of Miami
2 Wilmer Eye Institute, Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore
3 Wills Eye Hospital, Philadelphia
4 Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, Boston
5 Jules Stein Eye Institute, UCLA Medical Center, Los Angeles
6 University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, Iowa City
7 Doheny Eye Institute, USC University Hospital, Los Angeles
8 Duke University Medical Center, Durham, N.C.
9 Emory University Hospital, Atlanta
10 University of California, San Francisco Medical Center
11 Cleveland Clinic
12 Barnes-Jewish Hospital/Washington University, St. Louis
13 Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn.
14 Cullen Eye Institute, Methodist Hospital, Houston
15 New York Eye and Ear Infirmary
16 W.K. Kellogg Eye Center, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
17 Manhattan Eye, Ear and Throat Hospital, New York
18 University of Illinois Medical Center at Chicago
19 University of Wisconsin Hospital and Clinics, Madison
20 Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia
21 Oregon Health and Science University, Portland
22 New York-Presbyterian Univ. Hosp. of Columbia and Cornell
23 University of Utah Health Care, Salt Lake City
24 University Hospital, Cincinnati
25 OU Medical Center, Oklahoma City
26 Tufts Medical Center, Boston
27 Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center, Houston
28 UPMC-University of Pittsburgh Medical Center
29 Regional Medical Center at Memphis
30 University of Alabama Hospital at Birmingham
31 Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville
32 University of Minnesota Medical Center, Fairview
33 Yale-New Haven Hospital, New Haven, Conn.
34 University of Chicago Medical Center
35 Beaumont Hospital, Royal Oak, Mich.
36 Harper University Hospital, Detroit
37 Mount Sinai Medical Center, New York
38 Stanford Hospital and Clinics, Stanford, Calif.
39 University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas
40 West Virginia University Hospitals, Morgantown, W.Va.
41 Children's Hospital of Wisconsin, Milwaukee
42 Ohio State University Hospital, Columbus
43 Rush University Medical Center, Chicago
44 Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, Philadelphia
45 Callahan Eye Foundation Hospital, Birmingham, Ala.
46 UAMS Medical Center, Little Rock, Ark.
47 University of California, Irvine Medical Center, Orange
48 Baptist Hospital, Nashville
49 California Pacific Medical Center, San Francisco
50 Charleston Area Medical Center, Charleston, W.Va.
51 Children's Healthcare of Atlanta
52 Cook-Fort Worth Child Medical Center, Fort Worth
53 Erie County Medical Center, Buffalo
54 Georgetown University Hospital, Washington, D.C.
55 Grady Memorial Hospital, Atlanta
56 Harlem Hospital Center, New York
57 Huntington Memorial Hospital, Pasadena, Calif.
58 Loma Linda University Medical Center, Loma Linda, Calif.
59 Los Angeles County-USC Medical Center
60 Loyola University Hospital, Maywood, Ill.
61 NYU Medical Center, New York
62 St. Thomas Hospital, Nashville
63 Temple Community Hospital, Los Angeles
64 University of California, Davis Medical Center, Sacramento
65 University of Colorado Hospital, Denver
66 University of Mississippi Health Care, Jackson
67 Wake Forest Univ. Baptist Medical Center, Winston-Salem, N.C.
68 Washington Hospital Center, Washington, D.C.
69 White Memorial Medical Center, Los Angeles
70 Aurora BayCare Medical Center, Green Bay, Wis.
71 Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston
72 Bronx-Lebanon Hospital Center, New York
73 Good Samaritan Hospital, Cincinnati
74 LSU Medical Center-University Hospital, Shreveport, La.
75 Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston
76 Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York
77 Montefiore Medical Center, New York
78 Naval Medical Center, San Diego
79 St. Louis University Hospital
80 Truman Medical Center Hospital Hill, Kansas City, Mo.
81 University Health System, San Antonio
82 University Hospital, Newark, N.J.
83 University of Kansas Hospital, Kansas City
84 University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston
85 University of Virginia Medical Center, Charlottesville
86 Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, Lebanon, N.H.
87 Albany Medical Center, Albany, N.Y.
88 Carondelet St. Joseph's Hospital, Tucson, Ariz.
89 St. Luke's Episcopal Hospital, Houston
90 Tucson Medical Center, Tucson, Ariz.
 
New top 10 rankings available on the OT web.

Slight changes from last year. Wash U got kicked off of top 10 best overall... replaced by Emory. In top 10 research programs, Wills is out.. Emory is in. For top 10 clinical, Colorado and Wash U are out... Mayo and MEEI are in. Finally, the three new 2008 best residency programs include UCSF, Emory, and Baylor... replacing Oklahoma, UCLA, and Oregon from 2007.

Corn Dog's winner for 2008 is.... Emory Eye Center!

http://ophthalmologytimes.modernmed...d/Article/detail/558306?contextCategoryId=522
 
"makes me laugh" was admittedly a little harsh- apologies. You are certainly free and encouraged to form your own opinions. There are many happy residents at a number of programs and many at Jules Stein. But in my humble opinion, since we are subjectively ranking here, although many of their residents are very "happy" and the training is absolutely superb, the program would not qualify as in "the happiest" top five programs in the entire nation -and I venture almost all of their residents would agree with that :)
 
In no particular order:

Best Overall: Bascom, Baylor, UCSF, Emory

Best Surgical/Clinical: Baylor, Bascom, Emory, Doheny, Wills

Best Research: Wilmer, Penn, MEEI, UCLA, Iowa, Barnes, Duke

Happiest Residents: Baylor, UCSF, Bascom, Duke, UPenn, UMich

Most Under-rated: Casey, Oklahoma
 
My impression from the interview trail 2yrs ago

Best overall: Mass Eye and Ear, Iowa, Baylor, Wills, Wilmer, Penn
Best surgical/clinical: MEEI, Baylor, Iowa, Doheny, Penn, Southwestern
Best research: Wilmer, Penn, MEEI, UCLA
Happiest residents: MEEI, Wills, UCSF, Iowa, Penn
Most under-rated: Baylor, UT Southwestern
 
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I have to put in a vote for Univ of Florida for a great surgical experience. Our program director touts it as one of the best at least. End of 1st year over 50 blephs/10-15 tarsal strips; direct brows; too many lasers to count anymore and 2 cataracts all as primary surgeon. I will have nearly 80 phaco's by the end of my second year. The third years actually leave with 250+ phacos. We have a surgical simulator now, one of only a handful in the nation. Just my 2 cents
 
1) Best Overall Residency Program: Iowa

2) Best Research Program: Wilmer, MEEI, Duke, Penn, WashU (each of these institutions have NEI grant support (K12) to train clinician scientists)

3) Best Surgical Training: Bascom, Utah

4) Best Clinical Training: Iowa
 
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