Fellowship Overview

The UCSD Fellowship in Ophthalmic Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery is a 24-month fellowship sponsored by the American Society of Ophthalmic Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery (ASOPRS).  The goal of this fellowship is to provide the fellow in depth exposure to all aspects of functional, reconstructive and aesthetic ophthalmic plastic and reconstructive surgery.

The first year will consist of extensive experience in ophthalmic plastic, reconstructive and orbital surgery.  The fellow will have graduated responsibilities in both the clinics and in surgery in a tertiary academic care setting.

Clinics are located at the UCSD Shiley Eye Institute, UCSD Perlman Oculofacial Plastic Surgery Clinic, and UCSD Hillcrest  Medical Center.  Surgery is performed at the Shiley Eye Institute, UCSD Hillcrest Medical Center, UCSD Jacobs Medical Center, and Radys Children’s Hospital.

Several specialty clinics add to the experience.  The fellow participates in the UCSD Thyroid Eye Center clinic, a multidisciplinary clinic staffed by ophthalmic plastics, strabismus, and neuro-ophthalmology specialists and the monthly multidisciplinary Craniofacial Clinic at Children’s Hospital.

During the second year, the fellow will have the opportunity to gain additional experience in craniofacial surgery, plastic surgery, dermatology, Moh’s surgery, head and neck surgery, and neuroradiology.  The elective experience can be tailored to suit the fellow’s interests and desires.

Teaching and Research Activities

The fellowship integrates three types of learning experiences to prepare the fellow for practice in either an academic or private setting.  The three types of experience are: 1) working closely with the primary preceptor in his/her practice; 2) caring for Oculoplastics patients as the primary caregiver in his/her own clinic; and 3) supervising and attending the residents with their oculoplastics patients.

Clinical and surgical anatomy is stressed.  A cadaver dissection and practical surgery session provides the fellow with an anatomic foundation prior to being the primary surgeon on complex orbital cases.

The fellow will hold an appointment in the UCSD Department of Ophthalmology as Clinical Instructor and will be an integral part of teaching in the UCSD Department of Ophthalmology and Division of Ophthalmic Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery. The fellow will actively participate in grand rounds, clinical seminars, journal clubs, and lectures to the residents and will work closely with the resident who is assigned to the oculoplastics service. The fellow will also participate in the annual UCSD Wet Lab for residents.

The fellow co-directs a bimonthly Clinico-Pathological Conference with the ophthalmic pathologist to discuss interesting cases from the oculplastics service.

Research is encouraged and expected of all fellows. The fellow is expected to complete and publish a thesis in accordance with the ASOPRS guidelines for fellowship and society membership. In addition to the thesis, the fellow is encouraged to participate in several other research projects within the division and to present these findings at Annual AAO and ASOPRS meetings. The fellow will additionally participate in the Annual Shiley Eye Institute Resident, Fellow and Alumni Day.

Preceptors

Don O. Kikkawa, M.D. is the primary preceptor and Bobby Korn, M.D., Ph.D. and Catherine Y. Liu, M.D., Ph.D. are associate preceptors. Dr. Kikkawa is Division Chief of Ophthalmic Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery at UCSD and Director of the Fellowship

The fellow will spend the majority of time at UCSD with Dr. Kikkawa and Dr. Korn. All preceptors are committed to teaching and providing the fellow with the best learning experience possible.

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Letter from America: Orbit and oculoplastic fellowship, University of California, San Diego
By Richard L Scawn

Read the article in this PDF or at eyenews.uk.com

Meet our current ASOPRS Oculoplastics Fellow

Sarah Cheng, MD, PhD is an ASOPRS Oculofacial Plastic and Orbital Surgery Fellow at Shiley Eye Institute at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD).

Dr. Cheng grew up in San Diego and attended college at Stanford, where she graduated with honors and distinction in biology and conducted neuroscience research in the laboratory of Dr. Carla Shatz, publishing in Nature, among other journals. She subsequently attended Stanford School of Medicine where she led numerous ophthalmology research projects and coordinated ophthalmic care for the Pacific Free Clinic. Subsequently she completed her general surgery prelim year at Stanford School of Medicine, followed by a combined PhD-Residency training program at UCLA’s EyeSTAR Ophthalmology program. She completed her PhD in Molecular & Cellular Physiology in a record 3 years in the laboratory of Dr. Larry Zipursky, where she identified three new cell types in the visual cortex and created the first single-nuclear map of the developing mammalian visual system. Her seminal PhD work resulted in a first-author publication in Cell, which was later highlighted in a Nature editorial. She subsequently completed residency at UCLA’s Jules Stein Eye Institute and its affiliate hospitals. During residency she received the Henry and Lilian Nesburn Award for research and the Jules Stein Excellence in Research award. 

Dr. Cheng’s clinical interests include orbital tumors, thyroid eye disease, and aesthetic and reconstructive oculofacial surgery. She is particularly interested in thyroid eye disease, where she leads a laboratory project studying the molecular underpinnings of thyroid eye disease. She has written and received independent research grants which fully fund her research from reagents to personnel costs. She hopes to continue bridging her clinical and laboratory interests to develop new treatments for patients.

Outside of work, Dr. Cheng enjoys cooking, baking, and spending time with family and friends.

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Dr. Kikkawa and Dr. Cheng in the operating room.

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Dr. Kikkawa and the oculoplastics fellows (Dr. Jalbout, Dr. Shoji, and Dr. Al-Sharif) along with UCSD resident Jenny Hu on a hike in San Diego.