Within ophthalmology, fellowship experiences give applicants the opportunity of gaining
valuable insights to advance their careers. This can be accomplished by sharpening specific
practice skills, obtaining hands-on experience with new technologies, growing leadership
capabilities, and developing cultural competency and awareness. While these insights can be
invaluable, there is one clear drawback of a fellowship: residents must consider the additional
time commitment which could be dedicated to serving patients and developing the applicant’s
own future practice. What can be done to integrate the benefits of fellowship into the time
constraints of residency itself? The Ming Chen Foundation has attempted to answer this question
with its novel scholarship and mini fellowship program.
The Ming Chen Foundation Scholarship and Mini Fellowship offers applicants the opportunity to
broaden their learning opportunities while incorporating new technologies and practice
environments in a condensed format. This one-week program with Dr. Chen is offered to
qualified ophthalmology residents each year, along with a $2000 scholarship. Eight applicants
have been accepted to the program to date. Attendees split their time between the clinic and
operating room with Dr. Chen. This includes clinical experience with a diverse patient
population and the use of innovative technologies such as the LenSx, ORA, and Verion on
implantation of premium intra-ocular lenses. The fellowship provides a unique opportunity for
most ophthalmology residents, who are most accustomed to an academic setting within a large
medical conglomerate.
Dr. Chen has certainly built an impressive career with many different facets to his practice. He
has served Hawaii since 1980 as a board-certified Ophthalmology Physician and Surgeon with a
bustling comprehensive practice. He works as a Clinical Professor of Ophthalmology at the
University of Hawaii John A. Burns School of Medicine. Dr. Chen has also kept the academic
pursuit as a priority throughout his career. He has published twenty-four peer reviewed medical
articles and spoken at ophthalmological conferences in the United States, Taiwan, Hong Kong,
China, Korea and Canada. Philanthropy has consistently been a priority for Dr. Chen as well. He
recently published a memoir, “Angel of Sight: Thirty Years of Eye Missions” which showcases
his invaluable mission work.
Previous fellows have been impressed with the program to date. They have listed their primary
goals as “to compare and contrast private practice comprehensive ophthalmology with academic
positions” and “to gain experience working with cutting-edge technology” on a post-fellowship
survey. Many cited the value of working directly within the private practice environment. One
stated “my belief had initially been that private practice ophthalmologists do not often participate
in academic ophthalmology. Dr. Chen changed this view; he showed me what is possible in a
private practice setting.” Other objectives included completing research with Dr. Chen, gaining
an appreciation for life lessons after residency/fellowship, and benefitting from Dr. Chen's
mentorship.
At the summary of the fellowship, previous fellows have uniformly reported being “very
satisfied” with their time. The majority answered that they were either very likely or already had
incorporated LenSx and premium IOLs into their practices. Regardless of their choice to
integrate these new technologies, which also included Verion and ORA, the experience left them
with a gained appreciation for the safety, efficacy, and efficiency of each product. Most
importantly, fellows universally felt that the skills and perspective acquired with Dr. Chen had
enriched their overall residency experience.
These outcomes would support the model of a one-week mini fellowship as a beneficial
experience for current residents. Participants have gained valuable knowledge and adopted new
technologies for their future careers. Certainly, the one-week regimen requires dedication and
ambition to optimize growth whereas a typical fellowship allows additional time to reach
learning objectives. Nonetheless this novel program does have utility for current applicants and
could be considered by additional programs as a model for resident development.