Penn State Milton S Hershey Medical Center Program

Program Identity & Fit

Penn State Hershey's Ophthalmology Residency is a small, academic, university-based four-year program (three residents/year) with a faculty-to-resident ratio exceeding 2:1, giving residents unusually close, direct faculty contact across all major subspecialties (cornea, glaucoma, neuro-ophthalmology, retina, oculoplastics, pediatric ophthalmology, pathology). Training occurs primarily at the tertiary academic Milton S. Hershey Medical Center (two-thirds of the program) with the remainder at the Lebanon VA Medical Center, pairing complex quaternary-level referral pathology with a distinct veteran population. Research is structurally embedded rather than optional: every resident has had work accepted for presentation at ARVO, supported by a dedicated research experience, simulation-based surgical training, and a broader institutional Physician-Scientist Training Program. The program explicitly cites "exceptional fellowship match success at top fellowship programs" as a hallmark outcome, signaling a subspecialization-oriented culture built around mentorship, resident autonomy balanced with supervision, and a collaborative, team-based approach to complex ophthalmic disease.