Fellowship Program

Allure Laser Center & Medispa offers the American Society of Ophthalmic Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery (ASOPRS) Fellowship to qualified applicants.

The fellowship is a two-year ASOPRS Oculoplastic and Reconstructive Surgery fellowship under direct guidance of Dr. Bryan Sires. The fellow will also work most closely with Dr. Bryan Sires, Dr. Steven LauKaitis, and Dr. Eric Cole. All fellowship mentors are Board Certified Ophthalmologists who specialize their practices to the field of Ophthalmic Plastic and Facial Cosmetic Surgery.

This 24-month fellowship provides a comprehensive oculofacial plastic surgery experience. The fellowship resides in a busy and efficient private practice located in one of the most sought after neighborhoods on the eastside of Seattle (Kirkland). In addition to time spent at the main clinic/surgical site in Kirkland at Allure, the fellow will spend time in Silverdale (with Dr Cole), in Yakima (at the Fellow’s own clinic once per month, and at UW (with Dr Chambers or other specialties intermittently).

The goal of the fellowship is to provide comprehensive training in oculofacial plastic surgery so that the fellow can excel in any type of practice setting they desire; either private practice or academics (both of which past fellows have pursued) The fellow will learn to refine their research skills and will learn the intricacies of running a private practice.

About the Fellowship Mentors
Dr. Bryan Sires trained under Dr. Richard Dortzbach and others at the University of Wisconsin in 1994-1995. He spent 10.5 years at the University of Washington as a faculty member and interim chair, where he helped to establish the first ASOPRS fellowship in Seattle. Dr. Sires subsequently joined Allure Laser Center & Medispa in 2006. He has an interest in cosmetic and reconstructive surgery and his research interests coincide with his clinical care. He has trained twelve ASOPRS fellows. The most recent fellows are Dr. Bryan Winn (UCSF), Dr. Audrey Ahuero (Houston), Dr. Henry Lee (New Jersey), Dr. Daniel Repp (Iowa), Dr. Tal Rubinstein (North Carolina), and Dr. Phillip Radke (Minnesota), and Dr Garrison Weir (South Carolina). The current fellow is Dr. Kellie Satterfield, who completed her ophthalmology training at the University of Washington.

Dr. Steven LauKaitis, a non-ASOPRS associate preceptor, is the founder of Allure Facial Laser Center & Medispa. Dr. LauKaitis trained under Dr. Robert Wilkins in Houston in 1983-1984. He has been in practice in the Bellevue-Kirkland, WA area for the past 30 years. Dr. LauKaitis has interests in cosmetic and reconstructive surgery as well as international medicine. He was the Medical Director of ORBIS for eight years prior to settling in the Seattle area. He is also an expert in practice management with his MBA from Duke University, and will delightfully share his knowhow on all things business with the fellow.

Dr. Eric Cole is an ASOPRS associate preceptor who trained under Dr. Allen Putterman at the University of Illinois in 1997-1998. He has cared for patients on the Kitsap Peninsula since finishing his fellowship. He is currently in his own private practice at the Cole Aesthetic Center in Silverdale, WA. In addition to oculoplastic surgery, the fellow will also get robust experience in other facial plastic and reconstructive surgery and cosmetic procedures. Dr Cole regularly performs face and neck lifts, large facial MOHS reconstructions, laser resurfacing, skin tightening, body liposuction and more.

Dr. Christopher Chambers is an affiliate mentor located at the University of Washington. Dr Chambers trained at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, the University of Pennsylvania’s Scheie Eye Institute and the Center for Human Appearance under Dr. James Katowitz. He was on staff at Northwestern University for 4 years where he served as the associate residency program director and chief of the plastic surgery rotation. Dr. Chambers is an Associate Professor at the University of Washington where he is the ASOPRS fellowship preceptor and the associate residency program director. Dr Chambers has an interest in pediatric oculoplastic surgery as well as reconstructive surgery and orbital trauma.

Fellowship Detailed Breakdown
Overview: The fellow will gain extensive experience in all aspects of oculofacial plastic surgery, practice management and medical skin care in an efficient, high-volume, private practice setting. The practice includes its own, on-site, ambulatory surgery center, clinic and laser medispa. There is an excellent blend of cosmetic (40%) and functional (60%) procedures, with the fellow consistently performing some of the highest rates of cosmetic procedures (from fillers to lower lid blepharoplasties) across all ASOPRS fellowships. The heavy majority of surgical cases done by the practice are performed at the practice’s surgery center, or less commonly, nearby Overlake Hospital.

Conferences and Teaching: The fellows will attend a weekly teaching lunch, typically held on Thursday, with Dr Sires. The fellow also has the opportunity to attend weekly/monthly/quarterly formal conferences. Such conferences include, but are not limited to, a monthly Clinical Pathological Correlation Conference with Incyte Pathology and University of Washington, monthly Washington Academy of Eye Physicians and Surgeons meeting, monthly Neuroradiology rounds at Seattle Radiology and at University of Washington, and annual state ophthalmology conference, the Washington Academy of Eye Physicians and Surgeons meeting.

Anatomic Dissection Courses: The Ophthalmology Department at the University of Washington holds an annual cadaver dissection course that is held in July of each year. The fellow is encouraged to attend the course. The fellow may also attend other national dissection courses with approval.

Research-Time Allotment, Facilities, Resources:
The ASOPRS fellowship requires completion of a research thesis during the fellowship. The fellow is expected to complete the thesis largely on nights and weekends, however time is typically given to the fellow at the end of their first year to initiate the project. Then depending on the project, time dedicated for data collection, project analysis, etc, may be available during the second year to facilitate project completion.

Fellows typically complete a retrospective project for feasibility, however, basic science (including animal labs) or extensive clinical projects, are available through the University of Washington. Dr. Sires has a fully functioning ophthalmic library including full volumes of Archives of Ophthalmology and the American Journal of Ophthalmology from Volume 1 1927. Volumes of Ophthalmology are from 1980 to current. The library also contains a nearly complete set of OPRS. Subscriptions include OPRS, Ophthalmology, Archives of Ophthalmology and the American Journal of Ophthalmology. Other journals can be obtained on an as-needed basis or through the University of Washington’s electronic library. Hard copies along with computer and web-based learning tools are available.

Funding will be provided directly through the practice, however fellows are encouraged to apply for the Heed fellowship. Regarding IRBs, Allure has a standing Western IRB registry for retrospective case reviews. Other IRBs can be submitted either through Western or UW depending on the project.

Call: The fellow covers call for the private practice during their fellowship, with the exception of their vacations, educational, and professional time, etc. They will also cover Oculoplastic Surgery call for UW/Harborview Medical Center one weekend per month (of their choosing) via coordination with the UW ASOPRS Oculoplastic Surgery Fellow. UW has a junior resident and senior resident who take primary and back up call, respectively. The UW residents will see and evaluate each patient prior to consulting the Oculoplastic Surgery Fellow for management, as necessary.

The fellow does take 4-5 weeks of general ophthalmology home call per year at Overlake Hospital, however this typically involves occasional phone consults and quarter-backing referrals to proper local comprehensive or specialist physicians on an outpatient basis.

Teaching: The fellow will work closely with residents and sometimes medical students in ophthalmology and other specialties while taking trauma call and operating at UW.

Duties in General Ophthalmology: Effectively none in a day-to-day capacity. Again, the fellow does cover general ophthalmology call at Overlake Hospital a few times per year (see call section above).

Schedule Outline:
First Year

**The fellow will begin rotating with Dr Eric Cole after 6 months of fellowship. This will typically be on Wednesdays, however depending on the surgical line up for the week, the fellow may go on Tuesdays (ie. to assist with facelifts, etc)

Second Year
The first year schedule format will be the foundation for the second year of fellowship, however the fellow will have an increase in clinical and surgical autonomy as the year progresses, dependent on the fellows surgical competence. They will also begin to spend more time at UW or with specialists in the community. These experiences will involve Head and Neck Surgery/ENT, Craniofacial Surgery, MOHS surgery, Facial Plastic Surgery, Body Plastic Surgery, and time with a local Ocularist learning about ocular prosthetics. Depending on the fellow’s interests, there is also a 1 month elective away rotation of their choosing. Examples of past fellow’s electives include London, UK at Moorfields Eye Hospital (orbital rotation), in Vancouver, BC with Dr Jean Carruthers (oculoplastics), and in Spokane with Dr Phillip Weischler (cosmetic dermatology). The Moorfields opportunity is now with Dr Dan Ezra.

Subspecialty Complementary Experience
Fellows have the opportunity to work with:
Dermatology/Mohs Surgery: Direct interaction with Drs. Peter Odland, Annalisa Gorman, Jodi Markus and Sarah Dick occur during a one-month rotation. Our practice also includes Stella Herrera, RN, who specializes in botox, fillers, and laser skin care including IPL, V-Beam, PDT, Erbium:YAG and CO2 lasers. Our fellows also receive training by our Master Esthetician, Heather Wheeler, on complementary skin care, skin analysis, and products.

Otolaryngology: Fellows have the opportunity to work with Dr. Jennifer Heydt, Dr. Kris Moe, Dr. Neal Futran, Dr. Wayne Larrabee and Dr. Sam Naficy, to name a few. The fellow participates in head and neck cancer surgery cases involving excision and reconstruction, as well as facial plastic surgery cases. These cases are done at Overlake, University of Washington and in private surgical centers. There is a two-week rotation for the oncology cases as well as one month for the facial plastic surgery cases.

General Plastic Surgery: Fellows have the opportunity to work with Dr. George Marosan and Dr. Aysel Sanderson.

Neuro-ophthalmology/Neurology and Neurosurgery: Fellows have the opportunity to work with Dr. Steven Hamilton, Dr. Eugene May and Dr. Marybeth Grazko who are neurologists trained in neuro-ophthalmology. The fellow may also interact with Dr. David Newell from Neuroscience Institute in Neurosurgery for combined cranio-orbital cases at the Swedish Medical Center.

Pathology: The fellowship is also pleased to have a strong working relationship with ocular pathologist at Incyte Pathology, Inc., Dr. Peter Herreid. The fellow has the opportunity to work directly with Dr. Herreid to review cases, and also attend the monthly Clinical Pathological Correlation Conference between Incyte Pathology and University of Washington.

Neuro-radiology: Monthly neuro-radiology rounds at Seattle Radiology. The fellow directly interacts with the entire group of neuro-radiologists at the University of Washington, Swedish and Overlake Hospitals to review individual patient’s studies.

Ocular Prosthetics (Ocularist): There are two local ocularist families welcome visits by the fellow. The fellow has the opportunity to work with Greg Sankey, Todd Cranmore, Christie Erickson and Rebecca Erickson. The fellow gets a close up of how ocular and orbital prosthetics are manufactured. The fellow spends one week with these practices.

Other specialty services available: The fellow can spend time with community oculofacial surgeons and facial plastic surgeons which include, Dr. AJ Amadi, Dr. Tim Carey, Dr. Tim Heffernan, Dr. Wayne Larrabee, and Dr. Sam Naficy. Dr. George Marosan, Dr. Aysel Sanderson, and Dr. George Min are general plastic surgeons who have experience with body and facial surgery and who welcome interactions with the fellow as well.

Compensation and Benefits: The fellow receives an annual salary of $48,000 each year, and can additionally earn an incentive bonus over and above the base salary, quarterly, for clinical services rendered. Malpractice and Health Insurance are both covered by Aesthetic Eye Associates, PS. The option to contribute to a health savings account with matching is also available. Annual continuing educational time, including expense reimbursement, is also available to present at or attend conferences. Professional time is also available to take written and oral board examinations. The fellow receives two weeks of vacation per calendar year in addition to the time off for professional endeavors noted above.

Application Requirements:

• Applicants must have satisfactorily completed an ACGME residency in Ophthalmology and be eligible to sit for the American Board of Ophthalmology Exams.
• All application materials are to be submitted through the SF match program. Please see their website for details – www.sfmatch.org.
• Supplemental materials are not required, however, if you have further documents you wish to send in support of your application, or other questions or concerns, please feel free to Contact Us

* PLEASE NOTE THE DEADLINE FOR THE APPLICATION MATERIALS IS 7AM PACIFIC TIME ON JUNE 15TH, 2022*

Last Updated 4/15/2022