Ophthalmology Fellowship

Discover Our Fellowship

Children's National Ophthalmology Fellowship provides fellows with unique advantages as the first fellowship of its kind. Watch our video to learn more about our fellowship.

The Division of Ophthalmology at Children's National Hospital is a comprehensive specialty pediatric practice, offering care for children with all eye and vision problems. The fellowship program, credentialed by the Association of University Professors in Ophthalmology (AUPO) and approved by the American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus, is the original fellowship program in pediatric ophthalmology, established by Frank Costenbader, MD, and Marshall Parks, MD, in 1959.

Over 100 pediatric ophthalmologists in practice today were trained at Children's National. Many graduates from the fellowship have become division chiefs and program directors. International graduates have established pediatric ophthalmology programs and become department chiefs in programs abroad, working to improve the care of children globally.

The Ophthalmology Fellowship prepares graduates for academic or private practice careers, with confidence in managing all areas of a comprehensive pediatric ophthalmology practice.

How to Apply

The one-year Ophthalmology Fellowship seeks three physicians who will have completed three years of training in an accredited ophthalmology residency program and are eligible to sit for the American Board of Ophthalmology examination prior to the beginning the fellowship. The applicant must be eligible for medical licensure in the District of Columbia.

Applicants who are graduates of medical schools and/or training programs outside the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico should make careful note of the requirements listed below:

Candidates must be ECFMG certified and eligible for a DC medical training license. Please refer to the ECFMG website for further information
Candidates must have passed all three steps of the USMLE
Candidates must obtain J-1 or H1B visa

Contact Information

If you have addition questions about the fellowship please contact Rasheeda Franklin, staff assistant - fellowship program coordinator.

Call 202-476-3045 Email Rasheeda Franklin

Applicant Registration

All interested applicants must register for the fellowship match on the SFMatch website.

Visit SFMatch website

Explore Our Program

The Division of Ophthalmology provides comprehensive outpatient and inpatient consultations, diagnostic testing, ambulatory surgery and follow-up care to more than 12,000 children annually, with approximately 1,000 surgical procedures performed per year. Subspecialty procedures include surgical treatment of complex strabismus, pediatric cataract and intraocular lens implantation, other disorders requiring intraocular surgery, lacrimal abnormalities, congenital and acquired orbital and eyelid conditions, pediatric glaucoma surgery, ocular and orbital tumors, optic nerve sheath fenestrations, and pediatric retinal surgery.

During the Ophthalmology Fellowship, our fellows are involved in every diagnostic and therapeutic step in the care of patients in clinical and surgical practice. Working closely with faculty, fellows provide direct patient care with close supervision in all clinical settings. Physicians in the division care for patients and their families within Children's National. The organization includes the main campus of Children's National in Washington, D.C., as well as specialty care locations in the surrounding areas in Maryland and Virginia. Clinical services available in the division include orthoptics, aphakic contact lenses, electroretinography, ultrasonography, optical coherence tomography, ultrasound biomicroscopy, visual field testing and complete ocular photography.

For children undergoing eye surgery, the hospital team includes specialists in pediatric anesthesiology, nursing and critical care medicine. For children with complex or multiple medical conditions, our pediatric ophthalmologists collaborate with specialists in genetics, plastic surgery, neurosurgery, neurology, otolaryngology (ENT) and oncology. The clinical teaching environment is outstanding, with top training programs in all pediatric medical and surgical subspecialties, as well as world-class clinical research throughout the institution.

In addition to amblyopia, strabismus, developmental ocular syndromes and other visual problems, Children's National faculty medically and surgically care for patients with congenital cataracts and other disorders requiring intraocular surgery, pediatric glaucoma, lacrimal abnormalities, congenital and acquired orbital and eyelid conditions, pediatric glaucoma, ocular and orbital tumors, optic nerve problems and pediatric retina.

On average, a fellow will complete the fellowship year with more than 200 surgical cases as the primary surgeon, including those in pediatric and adult strabismus, oculoplastic surgery, intraocular surgery, glaucoma surgery, lacrimal procedures and trauma surgery. Our Retinopathy of Prematurity team is proud to be partnered with the Division of Neonatology, which is ranked among the best in the nation by U.S. News & World Report. In this setting, fellows learn to recognize and treat significant pathology and train with retina surgeons when treatments with laser or Avastin become necessary.

Subspecialty clinics in pediatric retina are operated at the main hospital. Ocular geneticists from the National Eye Institute at the National Institute of Health, Brian Brooks, MD, PhD, and Laryssa Huryn, MD, hold subspecialty clinics in ocular genetics at Children’s National as well. Adult strabismus clinics and surgeries operate in collaboration with George Washington Hospital. There is no need to travel from Children’s National for fellows to access subspecialty training for a comprehensive pediatric practice.

The fellow is part of a pediatric ophthalmology team that includes ophthalmology residents from both the George Washington and Georgetown programs, along with medical students and elective trainees from the Pediatrics Residency Program at Children's National, orthoptists, an optometrist, ophthalmic technicians, ophthalmic photographer and professional administrative staff.

Fellows participate in research endeavors during their one-year fellowship and are encouraged to submit their work for presentation at the national American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus (AAPOS) meeting. Over 100 publications in peer-reviewed journals in pediatric ophthalmology were authored by fellows, based on research they pursued during their training.

Given the collaborative culture at Children's National, projects are often developed with other departments in a multispecialty approach to further our understanding and treatment of conditions that affect children. An annual research day has been established for the hospital community to come together and share their work with one another. In addition, fellows participate in the annual research day event with the George Washington ophthalmology residency program.

Research Topics

To learn more or discuss topics of potential interest to candidates, please contact our Director of Research, Richard Birdsong, MD

Email Richard Birdsong, MD

Our Team

Fellows will learn from a large staff of experts including ophthalmologists, optometrists and more.

Meet the team