Eyesthetica Fellowship
ASOPRS Program
Eyesthetica/USC Roski Eye Institute ASOPRS Oculofacial Plastic Surgery Fellowship
The combined Eyesthetica/USC Roski Eye Institute ASOPRS fellowship provides an excellent combination of university and private practice experience. The fellowship objectives include education of future oculofacial plastic surgeons with state-of-the-art functional eyelid, lacrimal, and orbital surgery and cutting-edge cosmetic facial surgery in order to create future leaders in our field. This training will allow the graduating fellow to acquire the skills to pursue an academic career or tertiary care private practice. All of the preceptors have well-balanced practices in both reconstructive and aesthetic surgery. In addition, subspecialty colleagues are available for additional training in facial plastic surgery and cosmetic dermatology.
This even-year ASOPRS fellowship under Michael Burnstine, MD, dovetails nicely with the resources of USC and its full-time faculty (Sandy Zhang-Nunes, MD, Jessica Chang, MD, and Jonathan Kim, MD) and the Eyesthetica team (David B. Samimi, MD, Christopher C. Lo, MD, and Yao Wang, MD).
During the First Year of Fellowship
Each fellow will be learning the bread and butter clinic evaluation and surgery techniques in Oculofacial Surgery. The fellow will see and manage patients at LA County (LAC) + USC Medical Center under the guidance of the ASOPRS preceptors on a weekly basis. Here, the fellow will be actively involved in resident education. The remainder of the week will be with the preceptors from Eyesthetica, growing their surgical skills and gaining competence in pre- and post-operative patient management. The fellow will begin outside rotations during their first year and will spend time with our local ocularist group learning impression-fitting techniques and with Richard Bennett, MD, former President of Dermatology Surgery for Mohs surgery reconstruction techniques around the body, including flaps and grafts. The techniques learned have ready applications to the periorbital area and face. Other elective rotations include cosmetic dermatology and Facial Plastic Surgery.
During the Second Year
Each fellow will continue to see diverse pathology by leading the LAC+USC Medical Center oculofacial service one day per week with the ASOPRS preceptors. The fellow will continue to help train the USC Roski Eye Institute residents in the basic techniques of oculofacial surgery at both LAC and the Keck Medical Center at USC and Martin Luther King Outpatient Surgery Center. The fellow will spend up to one day per week at Children’s Hospital – Los Angeles (CHLA) learning pediatric oculoplastics and ocular oncology, will rotate 1-2 days a month with Guy Massry, MD, in his Beverly Hills practice focusing on aesthetic oculoplastic surgery, and balance their time at the Keck School of Medicine and USC Roski Eye Institute on functional and aesthetic oculofacial plastics, including laser skin resurfacing and broadband light techniques. Elective time with other subspecialists can be arranged based upon fellow interest.
Oculofacial Surgeon Preceptors
Steven Dresner, MD
Sandy Zhang-Nunes, MD
Jessica Chang, MD
Jonathan Kim, MD
David B. Samimi, MD
Christopher C. Lo, MD
Guy Massry, MD
Yao Wang, MD
Bruce Becker, MD
Former and Current Fellows
Nicolas Uzcategui, MD 2001-2003 Mesa, AZ
Harry Marshak, MD 2003-2005 Palm Desert, CA
Melanie Erb, MD 2005-2007 Irvine, CA
Alan McInnes, MD 2007-2009 Eagle, ID
Srinivas Iyengar, MD 2009-2011 San Diego, CA
David Samimi, MD 2011-2013 Los Angeles, CA
Priya Sahu, MD 2013-2015 New Orleans, LA
Helen Merritt, MD 2015-2017 Dallas, CA
Mica Bergman, MD 2016-2018 Santa Barbara, CA
Leslie Pfeiffer, MD 2017-2019 Dallas, CA
Eric Hamill, MD 2018-2020 Houston, TX
Christine Bokman, MD 2019-2021 Naples, Florida
Case of the Week
Testimonials
Excellent, caring professionals. I needed minor surgery and they were the best! Zero problems with the surgery, genuinely concerned about your aftercare, very polite and courteous, nice Pasadena art in waiting room. I even walked out with chocolate! (Can’t guarantee you will get that, though).
I was scheduled to see Dr. Samimi for the first time this week. I ended up having a virtual appointment and I got lots of good information from him. He gave me direction on my medical problem and told me what he can do for me in the near future. I was pleased with all the help he provided me and look forward to seeing him for a follow up.