Medical Education and Path to Residency in Ophthalmology in the COVID-19 Era: Perspective from Medical Student Educators

The coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has presented unprecedented challenges. Our clinical practices and resident training programs continue to implement changes in response to evolving public health needs.(1,2) In parallel, a need exists to transform medical student education in ophthalmology and to think critically about the medical student path to residency in ophthalmology. Since April 2020, a group of medical student educators from New York, an early American epicenter of the pandemic, has met virtually to collaborate and share resources. Additionally, on the national level, the Association of University Professors of Ophthalmology (AUPO) Medical Student Educator Council meets regularly to guide national education in ophthalmology. These groups have developed a consensus on the way forward using national guidelines(3,4) and have devised multiple strategies to maintain and expand medical student engagement within our specialty.