About
The Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine at UNLV Department of Ophthalmology is the newest academic department at the Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine at UNLV. Established to address one of the most acute physician shortages in the state, the department brings together academic medicine and an established clinical practice to deliver comprehensive eye care and rigorous resident education to a region that has long been underserved.
Southern Nevada is home to more than two million residents, yet the area has historically had far fewer ophthalmologists per capita than the national average and no local ophthalmology residency. Our department was created to change that, keeping talented physicians in Nevada and expanding access to sight-saving care across the community.
An Education Affiliation with the Eye Institute of Nevada
The department is built on an education affiliation agreement between the Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine at UNLV and the Eye Institute of Nevada. This agreement pairs the academic, research, and educational infrastructure of the medical school with the clinical depth, subspecialty expertise, and surgical volume of the region's first academic eye institute.
For residents, the partnership means training alongside experienced subspecialists across the full breadth of ophthalmology – including comprehensive ophthalmology, cornea, glaucoma, retina, oculoplastics, and pediatric ophthalmology – in both academic and private-practice settings. For the community, it means a sustainable pipeline of locally trained ophthalmologists and broader access to advanced eye care.
Department Chair
P. Lloyd Hildebrand, MD
Affiliate Professor and Chair
Graduate Medical Education
Residency Program
The department is developing an integrated ophthalmology residency, making it the only one in the state. Unlike the traditional model, an integrated program incorporates the preliminary intern year, allowing residents to complete their entire training within a single, coordinated four-year program. Pending accreditation from the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME), the department expects to select its inaugural class of residents for the 2027 integrated residency through the ophthalmology matching program.
Path to the 2027 Integrated Residency
Why Train Here
Be a Founder
Join an inaugural class and help shape a brand-new program's culture, curriculum, and traditions from the ground up.
High-Volume, Diverse Pathology
Serve a large, growing, and underserved population, with broad exposure to the full spectrum of ophthalmic disease and acuity.
Academic and Private Practice
Train across both settings through the partnership, gaining surgical experience and insight into the business of medicine.
Stay in Nevada
Help mitigate the state's physician shortage and build lasting community ties in one of the country's fastest-growing regions.
Patient Care
The Eye Institute of Nevada, offers comprehensive medical and surgical eye care across ophthalmic subspecialties. Through the education affiliation agreement with the school of medicine, patients benefit from a team that combines academic faculty and experienced clinicians, supported by the educational and research resources of the medical school.
