Medical Education and Path to Residency in Ophthalmology in the COVID-19 Era: Perspective from Medical Student Educators

• Authors: Andrew T. Duong, Weill Cornell Medical College; Sarah H. Van Tassel, Weill Cornell Medical College; Ana G. Alzaga Fernandez, Weill Cornell Medical College; Abha Amin, Westchester Medical Center; Nisha Chadha, Mount Sinai School of Medicine; Lora R. Dagi Glass, Columbia University Medical Center; Inci Dersu, Downstate Medical Center Rheumatology; Anju Goyal, Wayne State University; Emily Graubart, Emory University; Zachary P. Elkin, NYU Langone Health; Lisa Kelly, University of Cincinnati; Pavlina S. Kemp, University of Iowa; Daniel W. Knoch, University of Wisconsin; Meredith Regina, Northport Veterans Affairs Medical Center; Pearl S. Rosenbaum, Albert Einstein College of Medicine; Jamie B. Rosenberg, Albert Einstein College of Medicine; Prithvi S. Sankar, University of Pennsylvania; Grace Sun, Cornell University
• Journal Title: Ophthalmology
• Volume: Volume 127, Number 11
• Publisher: Elsevier Science Inc. | 2020-11-01, Pages E95-E98
• Type of Work: Article | Final Publisher PDF
• Publisher DOI: http://doi.org/10.1016/j.ophtha.2020.07.036
• Subjects: Health Sciences, Opthamology; Physics, Optics; Health Sciences, Medicine and Surgery; Health Sciences, Public Health
• Keywords: Science & Technology; Life Sciences & Biomedicine; Ophthalmology

Abstract

The coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has presented unprecedented challenges. Our clinical practices and resident training programs continue to implement changes in response to evolving public health needs.1 , 2 In parallel, a need exists to transform medical student education in ophthalmology and to think critically about the medical student path to residency in ophthalmology. Since April 2020, a group of medical student educators from New York, an early American epicenter of the pandemic, has met virtually to collaborate and share resources. Additionally, on the national level, the Association of University Professors of Ophthalmology (AUPO) Medical Student Educator Council meets regularly to guide national education in ophthalmology. These groups have developed a consensus on the way forward using national guidelines3 , 4 and have devised multiple strategies to maintain and expand medical student engagement within our specialty.