Education

The Department of Ophthalmology at Columbia University is committed to training the next generation of ophthalmologists in the science and the values of clinical practice. The Department offers robust residency and fellowship programs that teach young ophthalmologists to treat diseases effectively, while focusing on sensitivity and compassion toward the patient. It is critical that ophthalmology residents and fellows develop sound habits, strong values, and self-discipline so that they can continue the learning process throughout their careers.

We also offer several continuing medical education programs for established physicians (both faculty and community ophthalmologists). We believe these programs are essential to cultivate the skills and knowledge necessary for ophthalmologists to continue to excel in their practices.

We strive to provide the best clinical, surgical, research, and leadership curriculum to our trainees. International leaders in every subspecialty contribute to our educational mission, and with over 50 full-time and voluntary faculty at the Edward S. Harkness Eye Institute, the faculty to resident ratio is over 4:1. Dr. George “Jack” Cioffi is our visionary chairman. Drs. Royce Chen and Lora Glass are our residency Program Director and Associate Program Director. Drs. Jason Horowitz and Tony Valenzuela are the bedrock of our residency clinic, and Dr. Noga Harizman leads our site at Harlem Hospital. Our educational leadership team is experienced and deeply committed to the development of our residents, meeting several times a month to discuss and implement improvements in the program. Our residents are intricately involved in these improvement cycles. We firmly believe that striking a balance between formalized instruction and resident autonomy is critical to creating and maintaining a top ophthalmology training program.