Medical Retinal Clinical Research Fellowship

The Retina Foundation of the Southwest is offering a post-residency Clinical Research Fellowship in Medical Retina. The purpose is to provide a broad and extensive exposure to clinical research focusing on age-related macular degeneration and inherited retinal degenerations to serve as a basis for a career in clinical research.  This one-year fellowship will provide training on all aspects of clinical research in age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and inherited retinal degenerations (IRD). The Retina Foundation is a leading site for cutting edge trials for AMD/IRDs including: gene therapy, stem cells, optogenetics, and small molecules.  Training and exposure to all aspects of clinical research, including but not limited to: GCP compliance, understanding clinical protocols and approvable FDA endpoints. Fellows will become proficient in the diagnosis and treatment of these conditions, including involvement in the management of patients undergoing various phase 1, 2 and 3 clinical trials for all these conditions.

The fellowship includes in-depth exposure to all retinal imaging modalities, including but not limited to a detailed interpretation of optical coherence tomography, optical coherence tomography angiography (OCT), fundus autofluorescence (FAF), indocyanine (ICG) and fluorescein angiography (FA), various forms of microperimetry, electroretinography and visual fields (for both clinical care and as outcome measures in clinical research). Additional training and research opportunities will include the use of artificial intelligence in interpretation of OCT in IRD and AMD patients.  Training will occur for 2 days per week respectively in IRD and AMD clinics, with one dedicated research day per week.

The RFSW clinical program is oriented around clinical protocols and, consequently, fellows will gain deep experience in the principles of clinical research, including the design and execution of clinical trials. They will be able to participate in several research projects. Depending on fellows’ interests, the program can sometimes be expanded to include laboratory research, especially for those who are interested in an additional year of fellowship.

Faculty teaching the program include:

• Karl Csaky, MD, PhD
• Mark Pennesi, MD, PhD
• Yi-Zhong Wang, PhD

The fellowship will be offered yearly. Salary will be commensurate with experience. Individuals interested in applying for the fellowship should submit their CV, personal statement, and three original letters of reference to the San Francisco Match (www.sfmatch.org)

And to:

Karl Csaky, MD, PhD
Retina Foundation of the Southwest
9600 N. Central Expressway
Suite 200
Dallas, Texas 75231
Telephone:  214-363-3911  (Ext:  137)
E-mail:  kcsaky@retinafoundation.org

The RFSW is dedicated to building a diverse community in its training and employment programs.