Subspecialty Training

The Charles Retina Institute offers a two-year subspecialty vitreoretinal surgery fellowship program in association with the Hamilton Eye Institute. Preceptorship is directly supervised by Dr. Steve Charles. The first year of fellowship takes place at the Charles Retina Institute, the Hamilton Eye Institute, and various Memphis area ambulatory surgery centers and hospitals; it focuses on the clinical diagnosis and medical/surgical management of vitreoretinal diseases, while working closely with Dr. Charles. Second year fellowship responsibilities expand to include a senior fellow's clinic at the Charles Retina Institute and clinical staffing of Hamilton Eye Institute and VAMC clinics.

The UT Department of Ophthalmology offers a 1-year ocular oncology fellowship that provides extensive experience in the diagnosis and management of ocular tumors under the supervision of Dr. Matthew W. Wilson. The collaboration between St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and UT Hamilton Eye Institute provides the fellow with a broad exposure to the surgical management of orbit and eyelid tumors. The environment is designed to cultivate a greater depth of knowledge regarding the use of radiotherapy and chemotherapy in the treatment of eye cancer.

In 2012, the UT Department of Ophthalmology added a new 1-year fellowship in pediatric ophthalmology and strabismus. This fellow will work under the supervision of Dr. Mary Ellen Hoehn in the Hamilton Eye Institute’s Pediatric Ophthalmology Center.

The Cornea and External Disease Fellowship Program at Hamilton Eye Institute/ the Department of Ophthalmology at UTHSC in Memphis provides intensive medical and surgical sub-specialty training in combination with clinical research opportunities in the fields of cornea, external disease, and refractive surgery. Cornea Fellows work in both ambulatory surgery center and hospital settings, and have access to state of the art surgical equipment and clinical instruments. Corneal Fellows are active members of the clinical team both in outpatient care and in the OR, and finish their training with wide experience in state of the art corneal surgical procedures, including transplant techniques, secondary IOLs, complex cataract, and refractive procedures. Fellows at HEI have significant autonomy and expand their comprehensive ophthalmology skills through proctoring of resident surgical cases and running an independent fellow’s clinic. Clinical trials allow exposure to and experience with newer techniques and treatments, including cross-linking, femtosecond cataract, and corneal surgery. Fellows participate in resident education and are encouraged to contribute to peer reviewed publications and present at regional and national meetings. Cornea Fellows have gone on to careers in academics, private practice and clinical trials in the pharmaceutical industry. The Cornea Fellowship is funded. The cornea faculty include Dr. Ashe - each cornea trained at different academic programs.

HEI/ the Department of Ophthalmology at UTHSC enjoys a unique position in Memphis by providing the only residency program and cornea fellowship in greater Memphis and so draws on a large diverse patient population. Memphis is a lovely and lively town and with a low cost of living, great parks, a family friendly environment, and terrific music and restaurants.

• Aaron Ashe, MD
  Instructor of Ophthalmology
  stephen.ashe@uthsc.edu