--- title: "A Message From the CPMC Ophthalmology Residency Program Director at Sutter Health" description: "Listen to a message from the Sutter Roseville Medical Center Anesthesiology Residency Program Director, Sam Reiter, MD" url: "https://www.sutterhealth.org/education/gme/residencies/cpmc-ophthalmology/message-from-program-director" --- 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](https://www.sutterhealth.org/education/gme/residencies/cpmc-ophthalmology) / 6. Message From the Program Director # Message From Our Program Director **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") ### 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]"} ```