Ophthalmology
The Department of Ophthalmology is one of the original and foremost ophthalmology services in the country. It was founded as the New York Ophthalmic Hospital in 1852 in New York City. After merging with New York Medical College (NYMC) in 1867, a formal training program for ophthalmologists, under one of the first professorships of ophthalmic surgery, was established. NYMC shares a campus with its major clinical affiliate Westchester Medical Center (WMC), an 895-bed tertiary care hospital providing health services to the residents of the Hudson Valley.
WMC is a regional Level 1 Trauma Center with a burn unit and has a busy Emergency Department caring for a wide range of ophthalmic emergencies and ocular trauma, ranging from orbital and maxillofacial fractures to retro-bulbar hemorrhages and globe ruptures. The newly built Ambulatory Care Pavilion with the outpatient surgical facility houses state-of-the-art operating rooms and all the advanced diagnostic and surgical equipment needed for the practice of ophthalmic surgery. WMC is proud to be one of the few programs in the country to have the new 3D ophthalmic microscope and visualization system NGENUITY.
The Department also continues to grow, boasting both core full-time faculty and part-time faculty who encompass all the sub-specialties with decades of experience and who are known both in the community and nationally.
Research
The faculty in the Department have published extensively in the field. Residents have the opportunity to pursue research during the three years and, often, residents with a specific interest in a subspecialty area are placed with a mentor to pursue a specific project. Medical students also collaborate with faculty and residents on studies and have the opportunity to publish in major journals and present at national conferences.
Medical Student Education
The Department of Ophthalmology offers third-year medical students a two-week rotation to get exposure to the specialty. Fourth-year medical students can elect a four-week rotation. During the month-long rotation at WMC, students spend time in outpatient clinics, observe in the O.R., and see inpatient consults with residents and faculty. Students are invited to all didactic sessions and grand rounds, learn basic ophthalmic examination skills, and see a wide variety of ophthalmic diseases while on rotation, while gaining exposure to all sub-specialties, including pediatric ophthalmology, cornea and anterior segment, glaucoma, neuro-ophthalmology, ophthalmic pathology, and retina. Students applying for ophthalmology residency should schedule rotations at WMC from June to November of their Match year.
Ophthalmology Residency Program
The NYMC Ophthalmology Residency Program provides comprehensive ophthalmology training to produce skilled ophthalmologists equipped to meet the medical and surgical needs of the community in the 21st Century. Training is offered in Valhalla, New York at WMC and Maria Fareri Children’s Hospital and on the Upper East Side of Manhattan at NYC Health + Hospitals/Metropolitan with each institution offering a unique setting and patient base.
The strengths of the program include the diverse population served by the ophthalmology clinic and the complex cases seen in the inpatient service of the hospital. One of the distinctive features of our residency program is the busy inpatient consult service with different pathologies that often need a multi-disciplinary approach, providing a unique learning opportunity for the residents. The hospital consult service also gives residents an excellent opportunity to be exposed to wide-ranging cases that highlight the ocular manifestations of systemic disease.
We are proud of the cultural diversity represented amongst our faculty, residents, and healthcare team. Each individual enriches our Department with unique experiences and perspectives.
Learn more about the NYMC Ophthalmology Residency Program.
Meet the Team
Department of Ophthalmology
New York Medical College
Kelly A. Hutcheson, M.D., M.B.A.
Chair, Department of Ophthalmology
Director of Ophthalmology, Westchester Medical Center Health Network (WMCHealth)
Sankara Mahesh, M.D., FRCS (G)
Residency Program Director
Pearl S. Rosenbaum, M.D.
Residency Associate Program Director
Westchester Medical Center
100 Woods Road Macy Pavilion, Suite 1044A
Valhalla, NY 10595
Donna Boucher, M.P.H.
Sr. Residency Program Administrator
(914) 493-7671
donna.boucher@wmchealth.org
Marlon Adrien
Department Coordinator
(914) 493-3619
NYC Health+Hospitals/Metropolitan
1901 First Avenue
New York NY 10029
Raymond F. Wong, M.D.
Director of Ophthalmology
Navdeep Singh
Program Coordinator
(212) 423-6080
singhn31@nychhc.org
