Overview of the Ophthalmology Residency Program
The Loyola Medicine – Edward Hines, Jr. VA Hospital Ophthalmology Residency program provides a joint education opportunity offered by the two institutions.
It has trained over 200 ophthalmologists who have contributed to the field as innovators and researchers, to the community as compassionate physicians and to Loyola as alumni educators.
The physician members of the department are faculty members of Loyola University Chicago's Stritch School of Medicine (SSOM) and Edward Hines, Jr. VA Hospital.
The program takes pride in its tradition in excellence. Over the past two years alone:
- Loyola Ophthalmology residents lead in Minimally Invasive Glaucoma Surgery (MIGS) training.
- Multiple residents have earned the Strich School of Medicine’s (SSOM) Magis Award in patient- and peer-recognized patient care.
- Residents have been awarded with the prestigious SSOM’s Epsilon Chapter of the Alpha Omega Alpha honor medical society, Chicago-wide resident research 1st Place (Beem-Fisher) awards and nation-wide American Academy of Ophthalmology’s “Best Of” award.
- Residents have presented at local and national (American Glaucoma Society, American Academy of Ophthalmology and Association of University Professors of Ophthalmology) conferences.
The residency achievements are a result of the Program’s emphasis on mentorship and collaboration. Under Dr. Charles Bouchard’s leadership, the program’s faculty and residents have created technologically unparalleled virtual simulation educational systems, established multi-city online resident didactic curricula, and collaborated with multiple specialties and universities to design a comprehensive approach to resident training and patient care.
The training program utilizes both Loyola Medicine's flagship hospital, Loyola University Medical Center, and the Edward Hines Jr., VA Hospital to provide the formal instruction and patient care experience needed to prepare a physician to successfully complete the examination process offered by the American Board of Ophthalmology (ABO). Successful completion of the examination process gains for the physician certification and benefits of such recognition.
The residency gives the physician access to the body of knowledge required to competently handle a wide variety of clinical problems related to the eye. This is accomplished by guiding the learner through the appropriate textbooks, periodicals, slide teaching sets, hands-on and virtual experiences, consultation and professional development through interaction with the faculty in a one-to-one or small group setting.
Research activities introduce the resident to the procedures and techniques necessary to carry on meaningful and productive exploration of the frontiers of ophthalmology. The Department's and University's Global Missions initiatives offer several opportunities for residents to explore, contribute to and expand different pathways of education and service.
The Department's innovative Ophthalmology Virtual Reality Simulation Lab is a unique resource that provides fundamental and experiential clinical and surgical training. Residents participate in a curriculum that begins with ocular anatomy and physiology and carries into surgery skills training, such as cataract surgery.
The latest residency evolution is the Ophthalmology Residency Wellness Program. The program addresses both extrinsic/systems-based and intrinsic triggers with a multi-modal approach to support resident physical, pyschological and professional wellness. The sessions, tools and offerings create an environment in which residents harness and optimize personal strengths.
The 2025 leadership for the Residency Program is:
- Charles S. Bouchard, MA, MD - John Mulcahy Professor and Chair
- Anuradha Khanna, MD - Vice Chair, Education,
- Chief of Ophthalmology, Edward Hines, Jr. VA Hospital
- Evan Stubb, PhD - Vice Chair, Research
- Roshni Vasaiwala, MD - Residency Program Director
- Max Whitmeyer, MD - Co-Chief Resident
- Alexis Stefaniak-Clark, MD - Co-Chief Resident
- Kathleen Vandlik - Interim Residency Program Coordinator kavandlik@lumc.edu
