Medical Students

Why Choose Pediatric Ophthalmology?

It's never too early to consider a career in pediatric ophthalmology. In this career, you'll help children see for a lifetime! Choose a specialty where you provide long-term comprehensive care for kids with great work-life balance from lower after-hours and less on-call responsibilities. Pediatric ophthalmologists are in high demand globally, by patients, academic institutions, and private practices. Have the freedom to practice how you want, where you want.

Hear from a Medical Student

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Why choose Pediatric Ophthalmology? Medical Student, Resident, & Attending Perspectives. Listen now!

"I always knew I wanted to work with children in my future career in medicine. After college, I started to work as a medical assistant in a pediatric ophthalmology office. The continuity of care and longitudinal relationships I saw with the physician and the patients and their family's was not necessarily unique to pediatric ophthalmology, but I think is a core part of this practice and one that I absolutely loved." — Angela Ngo, Medical Student '25

Tips for Medical Students Pursuing Pediatric Ophthalmology

Gain exposure to ophthalmology through job shadowing or volunteer opportunities with ophthalmology clinics.
Seek out research opportunities in ophthalmology or pediatrics.
Join the AAPOS network through a Provisional Membership to stay up to date on professional development, networking, advocacy opportunities and free resources in the field of pediatric ophthalmology and strabismus.

Pediatric Ophthalmology Mentorship (POM) Program

The Pediatric Ophthalmology Mentorship (POM) Program is dedicated to inspiring and supporting the next generation of pediatric ophthalmologists through comprehensive mentorship, education, and research opportunities.

Our mission is to cultivate a passionate and skilled workforce committed to advancing children's eye health and adult strabismus to address the critical shortage of pediatric ophthalmologists. Our aim is to empower medical students, making them competitive applicants for the ophthalmology match by providing them with the necessary tools, knowledge, and experiences to excel in this specialty.

Students receive one-on-one mentorship, valuable guidance in medical career planning, networking opportunities and access to a variety of educational resources.

POM PROGRAM STATUS

The POM Program is currently OPEN for applications.

Please click the link to the right to complete your application by Friday, September 25, 2026 at 9 PM (EST).

POM Application

**For reference, here is a 2027 Sample Application (PDF).

AAPOS 4th-Year Medical Student Away Rotation Grant Program

This program provides a stipend up to $1,500 to defray expenses for 4th-year medical students seeking away rotation electives in pediatric ophthalmology. This is a competitive program and there are only 8 awardees per year.

For questions regarding the Away Rotation Grant, please Email: Info@aapos.org

PROGRAM STATUS

The application will remain open until all 8 grants are awarded.
Applying does not guarantee an award.
Notice will be given after the committee reviews the applications.

The Away Rotation Grant Program is currently CLOSED for 2026. Please check back in the spring of 2027.

List of Away Rotation Programs

The below list is of known universities and institutions that can meet the AAPOS criteria for pediatric ophthalmology away rotations.

**This list is not exhaustive and there may be other universities and institutions that provide 2-4 weeks of dedicated pediatric ophthalmology rotation and meeting the AAPOS criteria. For more information, contact: Visiting Student Learning Opportunities (VSLO).

Institution	MSE Point Person
Baylor College of Medicine	Honey Herce, MD
Boston Children's Hospital	Ankoor Shah, MD, PhD
Brown University	Wendy Chen, MD, PhD
Duke University	Jullia Rosdahl, MD, PhD
Indiana University	Tyler Knight, MD
NYU Grossman School of Medicine	Zachary Elkin, MD
Ohio State University	David Rogers, MD
Oklahoma University Dean McGee Eye	Tammy Yanovitch, MD, MHSc
Oregon Health and Science University	Lorri Wilson, MD
University of Cincinnati	(Contact VSLO)
University of Colorado Anschutz	Michael Puente Jr, MD
University of Florida - Gainesville	Lauren Jeang, MD
University of Illinois Eye and Ear Infirmary	Ann Tran, MD
University of Michigan	Anjali Shah, MD
University of Rochester Flaum Eye Institute	Matthew Haynie, MD
University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine	Angeline Nguyen, MD
University of Texas Southwestern	Jessica Thayer, MD
University of Washington/Seattle Children's	Shu Feng, MD
Vanderbilt University	Anvesh Reddy, MD
Wills Eye Institute	Kammi Gunton, MD

Best Practices for Matching into Ophthalmology

The first step on your pediatric ophthalmology journey is to match into ophthalmology.

If your medical school offers ophthalmology residencies, that’s a great place to start. A conversation with the residency director can yield valuable information on what they’re looking for in potential residents, as well as tips that contribute to a successful application. But if not, don’t worry – there are plenty of resources to help you!

The American Academy of Ophthalmology offers Residency Match Basics for Ophthalmology. In addition to earning high grades in medical school, students can enhance their application through activities such as research, job shadowing, and building professional contacts in ophthalmology.

Additional Resources:

American Academy of Ophthalmology Guide to the Ophthalmology Match

Resource Catalog

Find academic resources like textbooks, simulators, webinars, podcasts, videos, journal articles and more in the AAPOS Resource Catalog.

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