Welcome to the Kresge Eye Institute residency. Our residency is a large metropolitan based program that provides primary and subspecialty ophthalmic care to the under served in the city of Detroit. Highlights of our program include a busy adult resident clinic that generates large volumes of anterior segment procedures. There is a significant exposure to a large pediatric population at the Children’s Hospital of Michigan. Residents spend multiple rotations at the John Dingell VA Hospital where their experience provides numerous anterior segment procedures to that patient population. A residency at the Kresge Eye Institute exposes the trainee to all aspects of comprehensive and subspecialty ophthalmic care. The experience is an intense 3 year total immersive experience. ~ Program Director, Mark McDermott, MD, MBA
Our mission in residency training at the Kresge Eye Institute is to provide an optimal clinical education to physicians in the science and art of the specialty of ophthalmology. The ophthalmology residency training program is fully accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME). The program has 7 residents each year. Kresge Eye Institute uses the central application service of the San Francisco Match Program (www.sfmatch.org)
The program is designed to provide a broad foundation in all subspecialties of ophthalmology in a 36-month curriculum, which combines a structured clinical and basic science course, clinical conferences and independent study. Our attending faculty work closely with the residents throughout their training. The full-time faculty includes fellowship-trained ophthalmologists in every subspecialty area. The quality of the relationship between faculty and residents is excellent.
To view more of our life as a Resident at Kresge, please follow our Instagram Page: @kresgeresidents
Rotations
Kresge Ophthalmology Residents complete 7 rotations each academic year. Residents have the opportunity to rotate with faculty on all subspecialties throughout the program. The Kresge Eye Institute Resident clinic and Walk-in clinic is our residents’ home base. This clinic provides invaluable hands-on experience for all our residents, with a wide variety of ocular pathology coming through our clinic. The Walk-in clinic is staffed by several different attending physicians, with specific half-day ophthalmology sub-specialty clinics to expose our residents to wide array of patients through all their training.
During the PGY4 year, residents have an Elective Rotation. This rotation allows residents the opportunity to create a customized educational experience focused on their specific interests within ophthalmology. Residents have utilized this rotation to travel internationally to perform cataract surgeries in India, shadow at local practices they may be interested in working at, or focus on research projects. It’s a unique experience that Kresge is proud to offer.
Kresge Eye Institute Residency started an Integrated Program in the 2021-2022 academic year, where residents complete all 4 years of post-graduate training in the KEI Residency Program. The first year of the Integrated Program (PGY1) consists of a breadth and depth of opportunities in clinical and educational settings. PGY1 Residents complete 13 Rotations, which include Emergency Medicine, Endocrinology, Otolaryngology, Neurology, Rheumatology and 3 months of Ophthalmology spent at Kresge Eye Institute.
PGY2 Rotation
- Glaucoma/Neuro
- Kresge Resident Clinic 1
- Kresge Resident Clinic 2
- Pediatric Ophthalmology
- Retina
- Subspecialty Experience
- VA
PGY3 Rotation
- Anterior Segment
- Comprehensive
- Consult Service
- Oculoplastics
- Pediatric Ophthalmology
- Retina
- VA
PGY4 Rotation
- Cornea
- Glaucoma
- Elective
- Kresge Resident Clinic 1
- Kresge Resident Clinic 2
- VA 1
- VA 2
MEDICAL FACILITIES
Kresge Eye Institute Residents provide on call coverage performing emergency and inpatient consults for the Detroit Medical Center(DMC). DMC hospitals include Children’s Hospital of Michigan, Detroit Receiving Hospital, Harper University Hospital and Sinai Grace Hospital. Residents primarily train for and perform ocular surgery at the Heart Hospital Outpatient Surgery Center, which is a part of the Detroit Medical Center system.
All hospitals are within 2 blocks of Kresge, except for Sinai-Grace, which is 15 minutes by car.
KRESGE EYE INSTITUTE
Kresge Eye Institute (KEI) is a four story building dedicated to Ophthalmology and Vision Research. Located on the first floor is a large clinic space, auditorium, and conference room. The second floor has a full testing department including diagnostic testing and an award-winning ophthalmic photography department, along with a renovated resident education center. The third floor of the institute is where you can find the Donald & Hosta McDonald Resident Clinic. The top floor of Kresge is dedicated to Vision Research.
Kresge Eye Institute’s clinical ophthalmologists are a part of Wayne State University School of Medicine’s Ophthalmology, Visual and Anatomical Science (OVAS). Kresge Faculty and Residents treat more than 100,000 patients annually and perform nearly 5,000 surgical procedures. Patients come from throughout the metropolitan Detroit area and the Midwest for highly specialized care in areas such as glaucoma and filtering surgery, cataract and lens implant surgery, corneal surgeries, neuro-ophthalmologic, orbital diseases and plastic surgery; retinal disease and vitreous surgery, pediatric ophthalmology and diabetic eye care. KEI is privileged to provide health care to United States Veterans at the Detroit V.A. Hospital just around the corner.
Veterans Administration (VA) Hospital
Residents have the unique experience of doing a rotation each year at the Veterans Administration (VA) Hospital, which is a state-of-the-art facility that opened in 1996. Here residents have the opportunity to run their own staffed clinic and see a high volume of patients. Here, residents have dedicated time to work on the (Eyesi) surgical simulator curriculum. During their senior year, the resident assigned to the VA service works in close cooperation with the first- and second-year resident to ensure smooth running of the clinic and surgical service. The VA rotation provides residents with an autonomous experience and introduces them to a tremendous amount of pathology.
Children's Hospital of Michigan
Kresge Eye Institute residents do their pediatric ophthalmology rotations at the nationally recognized Children’s Hospital of Michigan, which treats the most children for inpatient ophthalmology care in the state of Michigan. Expert pediatric ophthalmologists on the medical staff at Children’s Hospital of Michigan perform delicate surgical procedures to treat diseases, injuries and congenital anomalies of the eyes. Residents have rotations in their first and second year at Children’s. Here, they are exposed to multiple aspects of pediatric ophthalmology such as pediatric cataracts, glaucoma, ptosis, retina disorders, neuro-ophthalmology, refraction, and strabismus.
Sinai-Grace Hospital
Sinai-Grace Hospital is a 500-bed, community-based hospital located in northwest Detroit. Kresge residents spend time here to perform inpatient consults.
RESEARCH
Kresge Eye Institute is a part of the Department of Ophthalmology, Visual and Anatomical Sciences (OVAS) at Wayne State University School of Medicine . In 2020 the department ranked #11 in the country and #1 in Michigan in NIH Research Funding. Residents have the opportunity to work with Clinical, and Basic Science researchers throughout residency.
All residents present a research project at the Annual Clinical Conference – Update In Ophthalmology in June. Kresge Eye Institute is proud to provides funding to any resident to attend Ophthalmology Conferences if they are a first author on a project. Many of the residents present at AAO, ARVO, and other subspecialty conferences.
EDUCATION
Kresge Eye Institute is proud to have a robust educational curriculum covering all subspecialties throughout residency.
Wednesday afternoons are protected academic time where residents attend Basic Science Lectures and Grand Rounds. These lectures are held on site, and are broadcast/recorded on Zoom for residents to access if they are unable to attend. The Wednesday didactic sessions help prepare residents with the knowledge for clinical practice while also focusing on OKAP (in service exam) preparation. Friday Morning Breakfast Club is held weekly and residents choose a topic to present to the Program Director for an open discussion among faculty and residents. Journal Club is held monthly, where the exciting and controversial topics in aspects of ophthalmology are discussed over dinner. The subspecialty services hold additional journal clubs with the faculty specialists. In addition to the in person didactic sessions, the program holds virtual reading sessions, and subspecialty conferences weekly.
All residents are given a 3 day study break prior to OKAPS so that they can focus on their exam, while faculty and fellows cover the clinics.
All residents complete modules on the EyeSi surgical simulator while on rotations at the John Dingell VA medical center. The EyeSi simulator is an excellent tool to introduce resident into intraocular surgery as well as for technique practice. All residents complete a 10-week microsurgery course as a first year resident at the Henry Ford Hospital Microsurgery Laboratory. All residents are available to use the Suchomel Microsurgery Lab at Kresge Eye Institutes main campus. This laboratory is fully equipped with operating microscope and Alcon Infinity and Centurion phacoemulsification platforms. All supplies and disposables are provided for. Residents are encouraged to use the wet lab for a more hands-on experience before stepping into the operating room.
For more information about the residency program at Kresge Eye Institute, please contact Program Coordinator, Nicole Andras at 313-577-7614 or nicoleandras@wayne.edu.
If you’d like to be added to the didactic distribution list please contact the OVAS Education Coordinator, Ingrid Ciungan at iciungan@med.wayne.edu to receive weekly updates.
Our Residents
Click on a button below to view our current ophthalmology residents.
PGY1 Residents







PGY2 Residents







PGY3 Residents







PGY4 Residents







Living & Working in Detroit
Detroit is a unique and amazing city with endless opportunities. Detroit has experienced a revitalization that it’s residents are beyond proud of. There are an abundance of developments in progress including new restaurants, hotels, entertainment districts, beautiful apartments and parks.
Only a 5-minute drive from Kresge is Detroit’s theater District, which is the second largest in the country, only behind New York. All 4 Detroit sports teams play within a 5-minute drive, and our Chairman has been known to give away some Red Wings tickets to loyal fans! Not as famous, but just as fun – the Detroit Derby Girls hold matches at the Historical Masonic Theater, also located close to Kresge. The museum district includes the Detroit Institute of Arts, and the African American History Museum which are both down the street! Belle Isle park is a 15-minute drive (in the middle of a the Detroit River) from Kresge with unique bike trails, an aquarium, conservatory and a beach in the middle of the Detroit River! What we’re trying to say is there is something here for everyone.
Kresge Residents have an abundance of living options within the city and surrounding suburbs such as Ferndale, Royal Oak, or Dearborn and are all less than 30 minutes from the hospital.
We understand that Detroit isn’t might not be the first place on one’s list when looking for a location to do a residency. We hope that from the description of our program at the Kresge Eye Institute as well as this breakdown of what a wonderful city Detroit and its environs are, that you’ll come and visit and keep an open mind that this is a great place to spend a few years training.

HISTORY/CULTURE
Detroit is a city steeped in history, culture, sports and, above all, opportunity. Detroit has undergone a massive rebirth, re-establishing itself as a smaller and leaner city with a focus that is shifting away solely from auto and manufacturing. While the downtown revival began with a few casinos and our new baseball and football stadiums several years back, there is much more to offer.
With a robust theatre district (second in size only to New York), the Gem, Fox, Opera House and Fillmore, offer a multitude of events to attend throughout the year. Some of the museums close to Kresge include The Detroit Institute of Arts (http://dia.org), The African American History Museum, and the newly renovated Motown Museum.
Detroit is proud to have one the most vibrant farmers market one will ever experience at Eastern Market (http://www.detroiteasternmarket.com/). The Saturday Market can’t be beat, but there are great restaurants and weekday markets to take advantage of all week long. Pure outdoor bliss awaits you on Belle Isle State Park, which has bike trails, beautiful views and it’s own beach! (http://www.fobi.org/). The Detroit Riverfront has been recently renovated to include a scenic bike path, volleyball court, and is partially lined with stunning new apartments and lofts (http://www.detroitriverfront.org/).
If you’d like to learn more about the city, whether it’s history, architecture, night life, or music, the Detroit Experience Factory (http://detroitexperiencefactory.org/tours), offers custom tours for groups and free walking tours all with different themes. We’re proud to have partnered with them for tours during our residency interviews and look forward to continuing the tradition with them.
SPORTS
Detroit is a place for sports. The city lives and breathes Tigers baseball at Comerica Park, Lions football at Ford Field, Red Wings hockey and Pistons basketball at the new Little Ceasars Arena. Our residents have had many outings to Tigers games over the years whether it’s a few of them or an entire residency outing hosted by our own faculty. Not as famous, but just as fun – the Detroit Derby Girls hold matches at the Historical Masonic Theater, also located close to Kresge.
MUSIC
Detroit is also world renowned for its music scene. Of course, there is Motown (http://www.motownmuseum.com/). But it is also the home of Seger, Iggy Pop, The White Stripes, Kid Rock, Eminem and more. It’s the birthplace of electronica and home to the world-renowned Detroit Electronic Music Fest (http://www.demf.us/). Great shows are constantly going on at great small venues such as The Majestic Complex (http://majesticdetroit.com/) and St. Andrews Hall (http://saintandrewsdetroit.com/index). Not to mention the national tours that are always rolling through town at Comerica Park, The Fox, The Fillmore, The Palace and our summer stage at DTE Energy Music Theatre.
FOOD
Detroit is a food lovers paradise with new and old venues alike constantly pleasing our palates all over town. Detroiters have been lucky to experience the restaurant boom that came with the city’s resurgence. Independently owned restaurants with creative and diverse chefs have been consistently been opening over the past 5 years and the long standing staples of the city have never been better. Detroit area chefs, restaurants, and bar programs have been consistently nominated for James Beard Awards every year.
- – Mudgie’s Deli (http://www.mudgiesdeli.com/) – Famous for their sandwiches and Annual Lobster Roll Week!
- – Ima (https://imanoodles.com/) – Detroit Free Press – Restaurant of the Year 2019, Chef Mike Ransom – Nominated for a James Beard Award
- – Slow’s BBQ (http://slowsbarbq.com/) – a Corktown Staple, a second to-go location is open right by Kresge!
- – Bucharest Grill (http://www.bucharestgrill.com) – the best Shwarma in the city is a 5 minute drive!
- – Marrow Detroit (https://www.marrowdetroit.com) – a butcher shop and restaurant in West Village, Chef Sarah Welch was nominated for a James Beard Award
- – Al Ameer (https://alameerrestaurant.com/) – A James Beard Award Winning fixture and “go-to” choice for Detroiters in search of authentic Mediterranean cuisine
- – Yum Village (http://www.yumvillage.com/) – A delivery-focused, quick-casual restaurant, YumVillage brings diverse, accessible and convenient Afro-Caribbean food to Detroit
- – London Chop House (http://thelondonchop.com/) – Originally opened in 1938 and still known as one of the best steaks in the city!
LIVE
When coming to Detroit, one always asks where to live. There are countless beautiful places to live downtown just a stone’s throw away from Kresge Eye Insitute as well as one of the most robust and beautiful collection of suburbs in the country. Downtown is thriving with new developments and rehab projects that are sure to spark the interest of many. While some residents live in a rehabbed 1920s tower downtown (The Kales – http://www.kales76.com), many of our residents live in areas such as Royal Oak, Ferndale, Birmingham, The Grosse Pointes, Plymouth and Northville. All are unique and beautiful in their own right, offering wonderful communities to live and enjoy life.
GENERAL INFO
For more general info on Detroit, check out:
http://www.guidetodetroit.com/
http://www.historydetroit.com/
National Articles on Detroit:
Detroit Free Press: People Just Love Detroit…
NYTimes: Detroit Travel Section
NYTimes – Detroit: Young and Entrepreneurial
WSJ: Dan Gilbert Remaking Downtown Detroit
Great Books to Read about Detroit:
John Gallagher: Reimagining Detroit
American City: Detroit Architecture
Lost Detroit: Stories Behind the Motor City’s Majestic Ruins