--- title: "California Pacific Medical Center Ophthalmology Residency at Sutter Health" description: "As one of three new residents accepted each year, you’ll join a long tradition of training in compassionate care as a clinician and surgeon focusing on the underserved and community service." url: "https://www.sutterhealth.org/education/gme/residencies/cpmc-ophthalmology" --- 1. [Home](https://www.sutterhealth.org/) / 2. [Education](https://www.sutterhealth.org/education) / 3. [Graduate Medical Education](https://www.sutterhealth.org/education/gme) / 4. [Residencies](https://www.sutterhealth.org/education/gme/residencies) / 5. Ophthalmology, San Francisco ![ophthamologist-checking-eye](https://edge.sitecorecloud.io/sutterhealt962c-sutterhealt8fce-production57cc-4860/media/Project/SutterHealth/SutterHealth/Images/health-topics/eye-health/ophthamologist-checking-eye.jpg?h=3250&iar=0&w=5000) California Pacific Medical Center # CPMC Ophthalmology Residency Train in a world-class ophthalmology residency program that balances rigorous clinical time with your autonomy and the compassionate care of underserved populations since 1885. [About the Program](https://www.sutterhealth.org/education/gme/residencies/cpmc-ophthalmology/about) [How to Apply](https://www.sutterhealth.org/education/gme/residencies/cpmc-ophthalmology/apply) ![ophthamologist-checking-eye](https://edge.sitecorecloud.io/sutterhealt962c-sutterhealt8fce-production57cc-4860/media/Project/SutterHealth/SutterHealth/Images/health-topics/eye-health/ophthamologist-checking-eye.jpg?h=3250&iar=0&w=5000) **Section menu** - [Ophthalmology, San Francisco](https://www.sutterhealth.org/education/gme/residencies/cpmc-ophthalmology "Ophthalmology, San Francisco") - [About the Program](https://www.sutterhealth.org/education/gme/residencies/cpmc-ophthalmology/about "About the Program") - [History](https://www.sutterhealth.org/education/gme/residencies/cpmc-ophthalmology/about/history "History") - [Ophthalmology residency alumni](https://www.sutterhealth.org/education/gme/residencies/cpmc-ophthalmology/Alumni "Ophthalmology residency alumni") - [Curriculum](https://www.sutterhealth.org/education/gme/residencies/cpmc-ophthalmology/curriculum "Curriculum") - [Faculty](https://www.sutterhealth.org/education/gme/residencies/cpmc-ophthalmology/faculty "Faculty") - [FAQs](https://www.sutterhealth.org/education/gme/residencies/cpmc-ophthalmology/faqs "FAQs") - [How to Apply](https://www.sutterhealth.org/education/gme/residencies/cpmc-ophthalmology/apply "How to Apply") - [Message From the Program Director](https://www.sutterhealth.org/education/gme/residencies/cpmc-ophthalmology/message-from-program-director "Message From the Program Director") - [Research](https://www.sutterhealth.org/education/gme/residencies/cpmc-ophthalmology/research "Research") - [Residents](https://www.sutterhealth.org/education/gme/residencies/cpmc-ophthalmology/residents "Residents") - [Ophthalmology, San Francisco](https://www.sutterhealth.org/education/gme/residencies/cpmc-ophthalmology "Ophthalmology, San Francisco") - [About the Program](https://www.sutterhealth.org/education/gme/residencies/cpmc-ophthalmology/about "About the Program") - [History](https://www.sutterhealth.org/education/gme/residencies/cpmc-ophthalmology/about/history "History") - [Ophthalmology residency alumni](https://www.sutterhealth.org/education/gme/residencies/cpmc-ophthalmology/Alumni "Ophthalmology residency alumni") - [Curriculum](https://www.sutterhealth.org/education/gme/residencies/cpmc-ophthalmology/curriculum "Curriculum") - [Faculty](https://www.sutterhealth.org/education/gme/residencies/cpmc-ophthalmology/faculty "Faculty") - [FAQs](https://www.sutterhealth.org/education/gme/residencies/cpmc-ophthalmology/faqs "FAQs") - [How to Apply](https://www.sutterhealth.org/education/gme/residencies/cpmc-ophthalmology/apply "How to Apply") - [Message From the Program Director](https://www.sutterhealth.org/education/gme/residencies/cpmc-ophthalmology/message-from-program-director "Message From the Program Director") - [Research](https://www.sutterhealth.org/education/gme/residencies/cpmc-ophthalmology/research "Research") - [Residents](https://www.sutterhealth.org/education/gme/residencies/cpmc-ophthalmology/residents "Residents") ## Full-Spectrum Ophthalmology As one of three new residents accepted each year, you’ll join a long tradition of training in compassionate care as a clinician and surgeon focusing on the underserved and community service. Our compassionate environment teaches the full spectrum of ophthalmology, with hands-on experience in all subspecialties, including cornea, glaucoma, retina, uveitis, neuro-ophthalmology, oculoplastics, pediatric ophthalmology, ocular oncology, ophthalmic pathology, contact lenses, low-vision and refractive surgery. From day one, you’ll be supported to deliver patient care with dedicated faculty, co-residents and state-of-the-art resources. You’ll gain extensive clinical experience as you rotate through top facilities throughout the San Francisco Bay Area and serve a wide range of patients. ### Program Details ### [How to Apply](https://www.sutterhealth.org/education/gme/residencies/cpmc-ophthalmology/apply)  ### [Curriculum](https://www.sutterhealth.org/education/gme/residencies/cpmc-ophthalmology/curriculum) ### [Research Opportunities](https://www.sutterhealth.org/education/gme/residencies/cpmc-ophthalmology/research) ### [FAQ](https://www.sutterhealth.org/education/gme/residencies/cpmc-ophthalmology/faqs) ### [Salary and Benefits](https://www.sutterhealth.org/education/gme/cpmc-salary-and-benefits) ### [Resident Wellness](https://www.sutterhealth.org/education/gme/wellness) ![Ophthalmology resident and professor reviewing inpatient examination techniques together.](https://edge.sitecorecloud.io/sutterhealt962c-sutterhealt8fce-production57cc-4860/media/Project/SutterHealth/SutterHealth/Images/GME/Residency/CPMC-Ophthalmology-Residency-Program/Residents/resident-and-doctor-training.png?h=459&iar=0&w=573) ## Field-Leading Mentors Work closely with dozens of faculty members at each site and subspecialty, including service chiefs. [Our Faculty](https://www.sutterhealth.org/education/gme/residencies/cpmc-ophthalmology/faculty) ## Clinical Experience Drastically different clinical settings allow you to care for underserved patients, including low-income and uninsured individuals, immigrants and refugees. You’ll also work within private practices, the resident-run Lions Eye Clinic housed at the Pacific Vision Eye Institute, Kaiser Hospital and Highland Hospital, the only Level 1 trauma center in the East Bay. [Our Clinical Experiences](https://www.sutterhealth.org/education/gme/residencies/cpmc-ophthalmology/curriculum) ![Ophthalmology residents observing and learning in the operating room.](https://edge.sitecorecloud.io/sutterhealt962c-sutterhealt8fce-production57cc-4860/media/Project/SutterHealth/SutterHealth/Images/GME/Residency/CPMC-Ophthalmology-Residency-Program/Residents/residents-in-or.jpg?h=960&iar=0&w=712) ## Diverse Didactics Lead and learn during protected time for educational sessions, including weekly Grand Rounds, lectures, specialized conferences, microsurgery lab sessions, journal club discussions for each major subspecialty, and lectures from well-known international ophthalmologists. ## Prioritized Research Research is a core, required component of our program. Not only will you participate in fully-supported research, you’ll have the opportunity to present at our annual Barkan Society Research Symposium and receive full funding for presentations at national conferences. [Our Research](https://www.sutterhealth.org/education/gme/residencies/cpmc-ophthalmology/research) ### Living in San Francisco  Live and work in one of the most culturally diverse cities in the world. From outdoor adventures in protected national landscapes to world-class museums and dining, San Francisco is a city like no other.  [Get to Know the Area](https://www.visitcalifornia.com/places-to-visit/san-francisco/) ### Contact Us Program Administrator Fernarem "Deedee" Solis [415-600-3930](tel:+4156003930) [SolisF@sutterhealth.org](mailto:SolisF@sutterhealth.org) Program Director Kristina Austin, M.D. [Get In Touch](mailto:SolisF@sutterhealth.org) ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"MedicalOrganization","name":"Sutter Health","@id":"https://www.sutterhealth.org/#medicalorganization","url":"https://www.sutterhealth.org","logo":"https://www.sutterhealth.org/static/images/sutter-health-logo.svg","address":{"@type":"PostalAddress","streetAddress":"2200 River Plaza 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Program","thumbnailUrl":"https://cf-images.us-east-1.prod.boltdns.net/v1/static/817826402001/4e79b667-a300-4fa5-a5cd-fc8378edf4b7/4b3ea3e1-42a4-47bc-b23c-26f499eba749/1280x720/match/image.jpg","uploadDate":"2026-09-29T17:31:57.528Z","embedUrl":"https://players.brightcove.net/817826402001/79bcaa57-54d7-453c-9f1f-8ab3ef7b15de/index.html?videoId=6405740714112","description":"CPMC Ophthalmology Residency Training Program introduction by Kristina Austin, MD.","duration":"PT7M55S","transcript":"[MUSIC PLAYING]\nKRISTINA AUSTIN: Welcome to the Department of Ophthalmology\nat California Pacific Medical Center.\nThis is a virtual tour of the residency training\nprogram, our facilities, community, and culture.\nCPMC ophthalmology has a long history of training residents\nto become excellent clinicians, surgeons,\nand ophthalmic leaders.\nToday, our residents rotate throughout the greater San\nFrancisco Bay Area to serve the diverse populations that\nlive here.\nWe opened a new facility in San Francisco in 2018.\nThe Pacific Vision Eye Institute is our home base.\nIt consolidates several vital features\nof the residency program into one central location, including\nan education center for resident education, the center eye\nresident clinic, the ophthalmic diagnostic services\noffice, an ambulatory surgery center, and many\nof the practices of our teaching faculty.\nResidents rotate through several sites\nto complete their training.\nThey spend much of their time at the Sutter Eye\nClinic in San Francisco.\nThis is a resident-run clinic where\nwe care for some of the most vulnerable patients\nin our community with support from the Lions Foundation.\nTo broaden their experience, our residents\nrotate at Kaiser Hospital in San Francisco and Oakland,\nwhere they learn advanced cataract techniques\nand work with subspecialists.\nAnother primary site is Highland Hospital\nin Oakland, a county hospital and Level I trauma center\nwith three full-time subspecialty ophthalmologists.\nDuring subspecialty rotations, residents\nwork alongside nationally respected ophthalmologists\nin diverse clinical settings across the San Francisco Bay\nArea.\nThe heart of our program is made up\nof our faculty, a close-knit group of ophthalmologists\nwho are deeply committed to resident education.\nWe all share in the commitment to caring\nfor the underserved populations of Northern California,\nand that commitment is something that we\nlook for in our applicants.\nWe have a joint internship with the Department\nof Internal Medicine, including four months of ophthalmology\nat Highland Hospital.\nBRUCE SPIVEY: The history of this department\nis quite interesting.\nWe are the oldest ophthalmology department in the West\nby many, many years.\nWe began in 1872 and have had an unblemished and unbroken record\nsince that time.\nWe've seen many situations, survived good times\nand bad times, and we are flourishing now\nwith our new space, our new ASC, and the future looks as good\nas the past has been.\nMYRA SAFO: My primary goal was that I\nwanted to find the program that was going to train me the best,\nspecifically how to be the best surgeon and the best clinician.\nMUSTAFA SAFI: Having been in this program for a little\nover six months, I feel like I've\ndeveloped the skills necessary to not only evaluate\na patient very efficiently, but also\nhave a very solid understanding of the type of pathology\nI'm dealing with.\nRONA SILKISS: The uniqueness of our program\nis based on our faculty, because our faculty really\ntreat the residents as if they are colleagues.\nAnd we know that in a very short period of time, they will be.\nANITA AGARWAL: The biggest advantage, I think,\nis the fact that they have a lot of people that they learn from.\nIf you're in a university, there may be 15, 20 faculty members,\nwhereas here, there's probably 40,\n50 of us between all of our private practices\nand the academic teachings.\nMUSTAFA SAFI: The type of relationship is very collegial.\nAnd that really bodes well for the residents,\nbecause they feel really comfortable asking\nany of the attending physicians any questions,\nanything related to ophthalmology,\nand they really take you under their wing.\nANITA AGARWAL: They come to our office,\nso they see patients with us.\nWe also operate with the residents,\nand we have grand rounds and lectures.\nSo they learn in different aspects\nand different ways of learning.\nRONA SILKISS: The residents spend two months working with me\non their oculoplastic rotation during their first year.\nAs such, they literally are working almost as\nif they were my fellow, spending every day in the clinic\nand in the operating room with me\nlearning oculoplastic surgery.\nANITA AGARWAL: They're to able to do refractive surgery.\nThey have projects with refractive surgeons,\nso they learn a lot of new technology, which\nis more than just bread-and-butter learning\ncataracts and regular retinal and other ocular diseases.\nMUSTAFA SAFI: So some of the defining qualities of CPMC,\nI would say, is the surgical experience.\nTruly, you are the primary surgeon\nwhen you're doing any type of surgical case here,\nand that is a very unique experience that I would\nsay not many programs in the country\nhave that type of opportunity.\nANITA AGARWAL: And I've seen the first-year residents come\nthrough my ORs within the first month,\nand by the time they come into their second year,\nthey're already proficient with the whole system.\nThey're able to manage everything.\nThey're able to set up any follow-up for patients,\nany kind of surgery, any other consultation.\nRONA SILKISS: I'm also very interested in research\nand encourage the residents to do research projects with me\nand have mentored several of the residents\non award-winning Barkan projects.\nJONATHAN HERNANDEZ: I'm an alum from our program, which\nmeans that I spent a third of my residency here at Highland.\nHighland is a place where young doctors enter as residents\nbut leave as ophthalmologists.\nIt's here that we first hang a shingle over a door\nwith your name, where you have your own patient panel\nand develop strong relationships with patients\nfrom all walks of life.\nHere, you'll see incredibly diverse pathology\nand be supported by a stellar group of attendings that are all\ndedicated to your education.\nFor generations, this is where CPMC residents\nhave mastered cataract surgery and have also\nbeen primary surgeons on a wide variety of complex surgeries,\nincluding incisional glaucoma surgery, MIGS,\ncorneal transplants, eye wall exchanges, to name a few.\nResidents on my service operate once to twice a week,\nand you do it all while having a good time.\nYou're going to work hard.\nIt's hard work.\nBut you will grow here, and you'll find a sense of purpose\nthat's hard to find elsewhere.\nRONA SILKISS: Our residents are very\nsuccessful in being able to pursue the things that they\nwant to do after they finish training.\nThat could be getting a university position,\nworking in private practice, increasing their education,\ncontinuing their education by a fellowship program.\nAnd even beyond that, we've graduated several presidents\nof the American Academy of Ophthalmology,\nincluding the first female president\nof the American Academy of Ophthalmology\nand the second female president of the American Academy\nof Ophthalmology.\nBoth of those women came from this program.\nMYRA SAFO: When you talk to a lot of attendings\nwho have worked with our residents after they graduate,\nthey say specifically that we make really great clinicians\nbecause we know how to manage such a wide range of pathologies\nbecause we've seen it all.\nMUSTAFA SAFI: So it's really unique\nto have a program where all the residents are\nin it to help one another.\nRONA SILKISS: We have a great group of residents.\nKRISTINA AUSTIN: Thank you for joining us on this virtual tour.\nWe hope you've enjoyed visiting us and getting\na feel for the quality of training\nthat we provide our ophthalmology residents.\nIf you have any questions or wish to contact us,\nyou can explore our website or reach out\nto our residency administrator.\n[MUSIC PLAYING]"} ``` ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"CPMC Ophthalmology Residency Virtual Tour","thumbnailUrl":"https://cf-images.us-east-1.prod.boltdns.net/v1/static/817826402001/a456e7f7-7ae0-4288-9d66-fbf73edca89d/d162330e-a8b1-465f-b055-05087384f36f/1280x720/match/image.jpg","uploadDate":"2025-06-11T21:30:20.833Z","embedUrl":"https://players.brightcove.net/817826402001/79bcaa57-54d7-453c-9f1f-8ab3ef7b15de/index.html?videoId=6374147791112","description":"CPMC Ophthalmology Residency Virtual Tour","duration":"PT6M15S","transcript":"[MUSIC PLAYING]\n\nJIN CHOI: Hi, my name is Jin.\nI'm one of the PGY2s here at CPMC.\nWelcome to the Lions Eye Clinic, where we spend\na big chunk of our PGY2 year.\nSAMANTHA BUTTERFIELD: I'm Sam.\nI'm a PGY4 here at CPMC.\nThis is the home of our CPMC Department of Ophthalmology.\nIt is also the home of the Lions Eye Foundation, California\nand Nevada clinic, where we're able to provide\ncare for uninsured patients from California and Nevada.\nSo we're going to show you around our clinic.\nWe have four exam rooms and one workup room here.\nEach exam room has a slit lamp exam that\nis in really good condition.\nIt's really wonderful to have these tools\nto examine our patients.\nWe also have indirect ophthalmoscope,\na computer in each room, and all of the tools\nthat we might need to perform any sort of ophthalmic exam.\nWe have interpreter services here.\nA lot of our patients speak Spanish or other languages.\nAnd even though a lot of our providers here are multilingual,\nwe always have interpreter services available.\nAnd it's really nice to be able to have\nsuch wonderful ophthalmic techs here at our clinic\nto do the workup for us and make sure\nthat the patients are ready to go for us.\nJIN CHOI: And so this way, we have our conference room.\n\nHere we have a lot of our lectures.\nWe have a lot of other microscopes and simulators\nthat we use pretty frequently in order\nto be prepared for cataract surgery, corneal suturing,\nand all of the other things that we might need to do in the OR.\nHere we have our IC.\nWe each have our own profile.\nAnd so we work with our program director\nto make sure we're on track and prepared for our first cataract\nsurgery.\nAs a PGY2, we spend a lot of time\nhere in our micro surgical course, where one of the faculty\nwill be able to guide us through all the principles\nof corneal suturing.\nSAMANTHA BUTTERFIELD: So as Jin said,\nthe surgical skills are really important in ophthalmology\nand take a lot of practice.\nBut we also have to do a lot of reading.\nAnd here in the same room, we have a comprehensive library\nwith various texts from every ophthalmic subspecialty\nyou could imagine.\nReally awesome material here on these shelves.\nAnd we as residents have full access to it.\nWe can borrow books to take home.\nI have referenced some of these books\nin the clinic in preparation for a patient I'm going to see\nor a new surgery that I've never done before.\nWelcome to the laser room.\nJIN CHOI: Here in the laser room,\nwe have our argon laser over here\nand the LIO over on the counter.\nAnd we have our YAG laser here.\nAs early as PGY1, our retina attendings and retina fellows\nget us involved getting started on PRPs,\nalso being able to get started on some YAG lasers.\nOver here in the corner, we have our surgical scope.\nEven as early as post-op day one on pterygium surgeries,\nwe can have small detachments of the graft.\nWe're able to fix that with the suture right here in clinic\nand have happy patients.\nSAMANTHA BUTTERFIELD: Let's move on.\n\nJIN CHOI: Here in the workroom, we\nhave multiple workstations that the senior and the junior\nwill be sitting at.\nOftentimes, we'll also have visiting\nmedical students who come here for their away rotations.\nWe also have internal medicine interns\nwho come in for an ophthalmology elective.\nOur attendings will also come here often\nto review images with us and review patient cases.\nAnd we'll be able to take care of all of the patients\nright here in this little space right here.\nWe also are lucky to have the corner\nspace here with this wonderful\nSAMANTHA BUTTERFIELD: View of the street outside.\nIt's nice to get some sunshine in here\non those long clinic days.\nJIN CHOI: Welcome now to the ophthalmic diagnostic services\nsuite.\nHere we have exceptional diagnostic imaging staff\nand equipment to be able to provide high quality\nimages for all of our patients.\nIt's really important to have all of these high quality\ndiagnostic imaging to be able to make accurate diagnoses.\nEven when we have patients with far peripheral lesions,\nwe're always able to get OCT cuts through them\nand fundus photos as well, which are\nextremely helpful in providing patients with high caliber care.\nSAMANTHA BUTTERFIELD: We are always\nlooking at how can we improve our imaging services here.\nOphthalmology relies so much on our imaging,\nand the technology is always advancing.\nWe have newer technologies like OCT angiography,\nand we are even in the process right now\nof validating a virtual reality visual field\nheadset that our patients love and is\nhaving really good results.\nSo I feel very lucky to be learning ophthalmology here\nwhere I have access to such wonderful imaging technology.\nJIN CHOI: One of the other things in the Bay Area\nis that this ophthalmic diagnostic services\nsuite is well known for the high caliber of images\nthat they're able to produce.\nAnd so we get referrals specifically for the imaging\nthat we're able to provide here within the Bay Area.\nSAMANTHA BUTTERFIELD: All right.\nAnd now we're back in our lobby of our clinic.\nJust across the hall, we have a conference room\nwhere we meet every Monday for our grand rounds presentations\nas well as didactic lectures.\nSo the last stop on our tour is the Pacific Vision Surgery\nCenter.\nAs you can see, it's just a short walk\naway from our resident clinic, which is really convenient.\nI'm able to do cases here on days when I also\nsee patients in clinic.\nThis surgery center is dedicated for eye surgery.\nSo everyone there really knows how\nto take care of our patients.\nThey have a great experience, and it's also a really great\nexperience to operate there.\nAs senior resident at our clinic,\nyou will be doing most of your operating\nhere at this surgery center.\nSo that's all we have for you guys today.\nIt's been a pleasure to show you around,\nand we really look forward to meeting you.\n[MUSIC PLAYING]"} ```