• To provide comprehensive training in oculofacial plastic & reconstructive surgery and orbital surgery. 

        • To develop the fellow’s skills in clinical and laboratory research in preparation for a leadership role within the ASOPRS community. 

        • To assist the fellow in becoming an effective teacher, surgeon, and clinician  

The fellowship is structured to provide an intensive, well-supervised oculoplastic and orbital surgery training experience over two years.  It will prepare the fellow for practice in either an academic or private setting through the following training experiences:  

1) primary preceptor training;
2) caring for Oculoplastics patients as the primary caregiver in his/her own clinic; and
3) supervising and attending the residents in oculoplastics clinic and surgery. A comprehensive surgical experience encompasses the full spectrum of lacrimal, eyelid and orbital reconstructive surgeries due to disease or injury, as well as aesthetic and rejuvenative procedures. There is frequent collaboration with other subspecialties, including dermatology, head and neck surgery, endoscopic sinus and skull base surgery, pathology, general plastic surgery, facial plastic surgery, oral/maxillofacial surgery, neurosurgery and neuroradiology in a busy tertiary care setting with a level one trauma center. 

Several specialty clinics add to the experience.  The fellow may participate in the Stanford Health Care Thyroid Eye Disease Center clinic, a multidisciplinary clinic staffed by ophthalmic plastics, endocrinology and radiation oncology specialists, a monthly skull base multidisciplinary conference and a weekly multidisciplinary head and neck tumor board.   

During the second year, the fellow will have protected time to conduct research, study independently, or seek elective experiences in facial plastic surgery, plastic surgery, cosmetic dermatology, Mohs surgery, oral maxillofacial surgery, neurosurgery, endoscopic and skull base surgery.  

Clinics are located at the Byers Eye Institute, Stanford University School of Medicine in Palo Alto, California. Surgery is performed at the Byers Eye Institute Outpatient Surgery Center, Byers Eye Institute Procedure Room, Stanford Hospital Ambulatory Surgery Center, Stanford Hospital Main Operating Room and Stanford Children’s Hospital. 

 The fellow receives a PGY scale salary adjusted for the cost of living in the Bay Area.  Malpractice insurance and health benefits for the fellow and dependents are provided. Limited funds are available for travel to national scientific meetings in each year of training if the fellow is a first author. Additional funding is available for research. The fellow receives three weeks of vacation in each year of training. 

 Upon successful completion of training, the fellow will be awarded a fellowship certificate by Stanford University School of Medicine and is eligible to apply for membership in American Society of Ophthalmic Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery (ASOPRS).

Applicants invited to interview will be contacted individually by the Oculoplastic Fellowship interim program coordinator, Danielle Ghasemieh. For questions regarding oculoplastic fellowship interviews please contact:

Danielle N. Ghasemieh
2452 Watson Court Palo Alto, CA 94303
Telephone: (650) 724-9981
Email: danigh@stanford.edu

Clara Jiayun Men, MD, is a clinical instructor of Ophthalmology and the Ophthalmic Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery, Orbital Oncology Fellow with the Byers Eye Institute.

Clara graduated from Troy High School in Fullerton, California, where she was awarded the Bank of America Plaque of Achievement in Science and Mathematics and the Bausch and Lomb Science Award. She was also a semifinalist in the prestigious Siemens Westinghouse Competition, a National Merit Finalist, and took second place at the National Science Olympiad for Chemistry.

Clara graduated cum laude from Yale University, where she majored in molecular biophysics and biochemistry. During her time at Yale, Clara developed computational methods for genome analysis and was a co-author of publications in Science and Nature Genetics. She was also a volunteer and eventually president of, the Yale chapter of Unite for Sight, which developed her interest in ophthalmology.

After her undergraduate studies, Clara attended Harvard Medical School, graduating with her MD cum laude. At Harvard, Clara conducted research on the genetics of inherited retinal degenerations and potential novel genetic treatments for these diseases in the lab of Dr. Eric Pierce as a Research to Prevent Blindness Fellow.

Following a transitional internship at Cambridge Health Alliance, Clara completed her ophthalmology residency with the Shiley Eye Institute at University of California, San Diego. There, she continued her clinical development and shifted her research to focus on improvements on current surgical techniques within ophthalmic plastic and reconstructive surgery, including orbital decompression for thyroid eye disease and surgical intervention for periocular infantile hemangiomas. At Stanford, Clara will continue her clinical and surgical practice with research aimed at advancing the field of oculoplastics and improving patient care.