Fellowship application

About our Fellowships

Fellows are selected competitively and come to Sydney Eye Hospital to interact and learn from leading surgeons and clinicians.

12-month Sydney Eye Hospital Fellowships are fully funded by donations to the Sydney Eye Hospital Foundation, making them honorary positions.

The Fellowships are subject to availability of placements within the Sydney Eye Hospital. Approval of funding for a specific Fellowship by the Foundation does not necessarily mean that a placement will be available. Placements are determined by the Clinical Services Director in the following specialty areas.

January – December

Applications close Monday 2 April 2024 (Australian Eastern Standard Time)

Fellowship period: 1 January 2025 – 31 December 2025

Glaucoma Fellowship

It is estimated that over 300,000 Australians have glaucoma, yet 50% are unaware they have it, thinking they have healthy eyes. The main objective for the appointed Fellow is to develop clinical skills across the range of glaucoma management. Such skills include access to a range of diagnostic equipment (OCT, HRT, UBM, SAP and SWAP), laser techniques and surgical exposure to penetrating and non-penetrating drainage surgery, glaucoma drainage devices and trans-scleral cyclophotocoagulation.

Mabs Melville Corneal Fellowship

Mabs Melville was born into an American philanthropic family in New York. Her mother was a grand-daughter of Ezra Cornell, New York philanthropist, politician and co- founder of the Cornell University. Following this family tradition, generosity for supporting genuine causes became second nature for the rest of her long life living in New York, Hawaii and Australia.

After graduating from the William and Mary University in Williamsburg, Virginia in the late 1930s Mabs married a resident of Honolulu where she lived for the next twenty years. After her husband died, she visited Australia on a holiday and met John Melville who became her second husband and together they settled in Sydney. After John Melville’s death in the mid-1980s, Mabs married her third husband and moved to the North Coast of New South Wales. After his death in 1992 she lived alone supported by two staff members whom she had provided their respective properties nearby.

Mabs was a private person who never sought public recognition in her lifetime. One of her major bequests was to the Sydney Eye Hospital Foundation for perpetual ophthalmic treatment of patients at Sydney Eye Hospital.

Professorial Uveitis Fellowship

Anyone can get uveitis but is it a relatively uncommon condition. In Australia, it affects around 20 people per 100,000 each year. Uveitis is the third leading cause of irreversible blindness worldwide. The Professorial unit provides clinical services in the areas of inflammatory eye disease, medical retina, neuro-ophthalmology and genetically determined eye disease.

Graham Lovett Vitreoretinal Fellowship

Graham Gordon Lovett AM, 1936-1999, was a former professional tennis player, sports administrator and first President of Sydney Eye Hospital Foundation (1982-99).

Graham was a member of many State and National Boards relating to sport at the top level. He was a born marketer and excelled in all that he did. As first President of the Foundation he opened many doors and set the Foundation up for success.

July – June

Applications open mid-2024

Fellowship period: 1 July 2025 – 30 June 2026

Oculoplastic Fellowship - 1 July 2025

The successful Fellow will work as part of and contribute to a multi-disciplinary team. During the 12-month Fellowship, they will have the opportunity to complete, under supervision, 100 or more of the common oculoplastic operations, including entropion, ectropion, ptosis, excision/reconstruction for periocular skin and eyelid cancers, and lacrimal drainage system reconstruction. The Fellowship includes outpatient clinic care working under the supervision of Ophthalmologists. In addition, the Fellow will assist the Acute Ophthalmic Service – a clinic that provides follow-up for patients who have been referred from the Eye Emergency department. Participation in this clinic provides fellows with the opportunity to organise and triage their own subspecialty referrals, and to maintain their clinical skills in other ophthalmic subspecialties.

Medical Retinal Fellowship - 1 July 2025

The Sydney Eye Hospital Foundation Medical Retinal Fellowship offers extensive experience in the management of retinal diseases, including diabetic eye disease, vascular eye diseases, age-related macular degeneration and inherited retinal dystrophies. The clinical sessions are undertaken in clinics organised by the Medical Retinal and Uveitis Service. The proposed training will allow the Fellow to acquire a level of professional expertise and clinical research activities in Medical Retina and Uveitis.

Glaucoma Neuro-Ophthalmology - 1 July 2025

This Fellowship will provide training in the clinical assessment, investigation and management of complex neuro-ophthalmic patients including dedicated time in strabismus clinics. Fellows would also be exposed to the clinical role of visual electrophysiology, which provides functional assessment of the visual pathway to correlate with structural changes.

Applying for Fellowships

The Fellowships are subject to availability of placements within the Sydney Eye Hospital. Approval of funding for a specific Fellowship by the Foundation does not necessarily mean that a placement will be available. Placements are determined by the Clinical Services Director.

Visit our ‘How to Apply’ page for more information regarding the application proces.

“I would like to thank Sydney Eye Hospital Foundation for their generous support of this clinical Fellowship and the opportunity to gain such phenomenal experience in this one-year time span, working alongside a dynamic and enthusiastic consultant team.”

- 2020 Honorary Glaucoma Fellow, Dr Puspha Raman

Fellowship FAQs

Am I eligible?

Applicants need to be a fully qualified Ophthalmologist in their country.

Applicants also need to provide certified copies of the following:

Demonstration of English language proficiency in accordance with the guidelines established by the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) https://www.ahpra.gov.au/Registration/Registration-Standards/English-language-skills.aspx 


OR

Adequate evidence of exemption from the English test requirement due to secondary/high school and/or medical education was undertaken in English in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Ireland, South Africa, USA or the UK.

  • Undergraduate Medical Degree
  • Experience in postgraduate teaching to Registrars and Residents

How do I apply?

NOTE: Applications can be adversely impacted by the lack of required information provided with the application. Prior to completing the application form, applicants are strongly encouraged to:

  • Assess their eligibility carefully – It is strongly advised that candidates complete an Internship or comparable in the country of graduation before you apply for registration in Australia.
  • Applicants are required to provide details of successful completion of a medical internship or comparable.
  • Ensure all relevant documents will be certified correctly in accordance with AHPRA (Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency) A guide to certifying documents is available here on the AHPRA website.

How long is the Fellowship?

Fellowships are for 12 months. Fellows receive four weeks paid annual leave, approval will be dependent on the Head of Department. Fellows are required to work evenings, weekends and public holidays depending on rosters. Fellowships can be terminated on poor performance.

Is this a paid position?

The Fellowships are Honorary Medical Officer appointments of Sydney Eye Hospital, with a stipend offered by the Foundation.

The stipend is $55,000 per annum (taxable), plus an allowance of $1,000 is offered per Fellowship to cover certain registration costs that are imposed by Immigration, AHPRA and RANZCO. These amounts are subject to change. 

Do you offer Observerships?

No, at this time Sydney Eye Hospital Foundation does not have an Observership Program.

Meet our current and past Fellows

Support our vision to save yours.