Resident Retreat
The Heed Ophthalmic Foundation traditionally holds its annual Residents Retreat in the Spring at locations throughout the U.S. For the 2026 retreat, the retreat will instead be held in the Fall.
Nominations for the 2026 Resident Retreat are currently closed. Thank you to all who submitted nominations. Results will be released in early June.
The 2026 Resident Retreat will be held in Chicago, Illinois, from September 26 - 27, 2026.
Description
Thirty to 35 residents, nominated by their department chairs and residency program directors, and faculty, including recent K-awardees, mid-career, and senior faculty, gather to discuss careers in academic ophthalmology. During the informal sessions, residents mingle with academic ophthalmologists just a few years their senior, to learn how young faculty members made the transition from trainee to academician. Among the topics discussed are how faculty combine patient care with positions/involvement in clinical research, lab research, residency and fellowship program leadership, medical student education, NEI/NIH, Veteran Affairs, and/or public health/international ophthalmology, to achieve highly rewarding academic careers. This program has been enormously popular and successful in preparing residents to pursue a career in academic ophthalmology.
Nomination and Selection Process
Department chairs and residency program directors are encouraged to nominate one or two residents from their programs who have the talent and desire to pursue a career in academic ophthalmology. Nominations are reviewed, and nominees are selected, by the Society of Heed Fellows (SOHF) Trustees.
Sponsors
The Resident Retreat is supported by the Society of Heed Fellows in conjunction with the Heed Ophthalmic Foundation, the American Ophthalmological Society (AOS), and Research to Prevent Blindness (RPB).
Questions
The Heed Foundation, www.Heed.org, is grateful to the AUPO chairs and residency program directors for their continuing support of the Heed Foundation Residents Retreat. Questions should be submitted to the Heed Office - [email protected].