About the Program

Clinical Description 

The Neuro-Ophthalmology Fellowship at Columbia University Irving Medical Center offers comprehensive clinical training through exposure to a broad spectrum of neuro-ophthalmic disorders. The fellow evaluates and manages patients referred from across New York City, the tri-state area, and beyond, covering both common and complex cases.

The fellow participates in outpatient clinics under the supervision of Dr. Jeffrey Odel and Dr. Meital Ben Dov, as well as in the Columbia Ophthalmology Residents’ Clinic. As a major tertiary referral center, Columbia provides unique opportunities to manage urgent and rare neuro-ophthalmic conditions, including acute visual loss, optic neuropathies, ocular motility disorders, and neuro-visual manifestations of systemic disease.

The fellow also gains experience in the evaluation of patients presenting through the emergency department and in collaboration with other subspecialties such as neurology, neurosurgery, neuroradiology, and rheumatology. This multidisciplinary exposure ensures that the fellow develops strong diagnostic reasoning, clinical judgment, and procedural skills in the care of patients with complex neuro-ophthalmic disorders.

The requirement to apply for a Neuro-Ophthalmology fellowship is to have completed a residency in Neurology or Ophthalmology.

Research and Teaching

In addition to patient care responsibilities, fellows are required to participate in clinical or basic research in vision and will be required to complete a clinical research or basic science project. It is expected that the quality of this work be original and worthy of publication in peer-reviewed journals, with presentations at national meetings.

Fellows also contribute to teaching, presenting cases and research work at various clinical and scientific conferences, lecturing in the resident series, participating in departmental conferences such as neuro-ophthalmology case rounds, Grand Rounds, and specialized meetings. 

The fellow shares on-call responsibilities for neuro-ophthalmology and works closely with the ophthalmology residents, and is expected to provide  guidance and support in the evaluation of urgent cases. Over the course of the fellowship, the fellow is encouraged to develop progressive clinical independence, judgment, efficiency, and leadership skills in preparation for an academic or clinical career in neuro-ophthalmology.

Recent Alumni 

The Neuro-Ophthalmology fellowship at Columbia was established in 2022. In 2025, the program was further strengthened through the establishment of the Danny H.-Kauffmann Jokl, MD Neuro-Ophthalmology Fellowship. This endowment provides dedicated support for recruiting and training fellows in advanced neuro-ophthalmology, enabling them to acquire the expertise needed to serve a growing population of neuro-ophthalmic patients in the United States. The program’s alumni not only advance the field of neuro-ophthalmology but also embody the values of innovation, empathy, and leadership that define Columbia Ophthalmology.

_{*Danny H.-Kauffmann Jokl, MD Neuro-Ophthalmology Fellows}

For additional information, please contact us at:

The Edward S. Harkness Eye Institute
Neuro-Ophthalmology Fellowship Program
622 West 168th Street, 18th FL, Box 200
New York, NY 10032
Tel: 212-305-5415
Fax: 212-342-3389
Email: jgo1@columbia.edu, sb2682@cumc.columbia.edu