Where surgical precision becomes lifelong practice.
The McMaster Anterior Segment and Glaucoma Fellowship (MASG) is accredited by McMaster University and trains 1–2 fellows per year to operate independently across the full range of glaucoma and complex anterior segment surgery — out of Joseph Brant Hospital in Burlington and the Hamilton Regional Eye Institute at St. Joseph's Healthcare in Hamilton, Canada.
This fellowship is intentionally designed to be highly surgical — high-volume, high-variety exposure, so that each fellow graduates with the confidence to manage whatever presents to them. Mentorship, however, extends well beyond the operating room and does not conclude at graduation. A genuine investment in each fellow's professional and personal direction, and continued contact well after training ends, is central to this program.
In the end, a fellow leaves having learned more than surgical skill alone — they leave with a mentor for life. Our logo says as much: an eye merged with a compass, precision and direction fused into one symbol. Surgical precision. Direction for life.
Full-scope competency, through high-volume exposure.
The fellow is expected to reach independent competency across every category below — tracked through a surgical log reviewed weekly with the fellowship director. The fellow is expected to complete 300–400 surgical cases of wide surgical variety over the fellowship year, depending on the trainee's skill level and pace of progression.
Trabeculectomy, tube shunt surgery
BANG, GATT, KDB, iStent, Hydrus
PreserFlo, Xen
Mature & dislocated cataracts, small pupil management, pupil expansion devices (hooks, Malyugin ring), shallow AC cataracts
Capsular tension rings and segments, secondary IOL implantation, IOL repositioning and fixation (iris suture, scleral suture, Yamane)
Pars plana vitrectomy for aqueous misdirection (IHZV), post-trauma repair, pupil and iris reconstructive surgery
Cyclophotocoagulation (CPC), selective laser trabeculoplasty (SLT), laser iridotomy (PI)
A surgical log, reviewed every week — no exceptions.
The fellow keeps a detailed surgical and procedure log, reviewed weekly with the fellowship director to confirm adequate exposure across every pathology and intervention. Progress is tracked through completed steps and competencies until full independent cases can be performed safely.
Surgery is an ongoing, lifelong learning process — no surgeon, however experienced, ever stops learning. That belief is the whole spirit behind this fellowship:
Dr. Khalid Hasanee is a glaucoma and anterior segment surgeon at McMaster University, where he directs the MASG (McMaster Anterior Segment & Glaucoma) Fellowship. He completed his medical degree at the Michael G. DeGroote School of Medicine at McMaster University, his ophthalmology residency at Queen's University, and his fellowship in Glaucoma & Anterior Segment Surgery at the University of Toronto, training under Drs. Ike Ahmed, Katie Birt, and Christoph Kranemann — mentors whose influence on his surgical technique and teaching philosophy still shapes how he operates and how he trains fellows today.
With 20 years of his own clinical experience, Dr. Hasanee brings a high-volume surgical practice and a personal philosophy shaped by two decades in the operating room: elegant surgery serves patients better, and efficiency in the OR comes from repetition, discipline, and genuine care for the person on the table.
Teaching is central to how he practices. Dr. Hasanee has mentored residents and fellows throughout his career and has been recognized with numerous teaching awards, recognition he treats less as a personal record and more as feedback on the trainees behind it. His favorite part of the job is simple: taking a trainee from novice to superstar, and watching that transformation happen in real time.
His fellowship program reflects that same philosophy: rigorous surgical training paired with real mentorship, built on the belief that technical excellence and genuine relationship-building go hand in hand. Dr. Hasanee also believes strongly that a good surgeon needs a full life outside the hospital. He emphasizes work-life balance, family, and mentorship that extends well beyond the operating room, for his fellows and for himself.
A Week at A Glance
This isn't a rotation through phases — the fellow works the full range of glaucoma and anterior segment disease from week one, on a fixed weekly rhythm of clinic, two block OR days at two hospital sites, and protected research time.
Laser treatment clinic every other Monday. Otherwise, new consults and post-ops at clinic.
Clinic continues — new patient consults and repeat assessments.
Cataract Video Teaching.
Full day of clinic — repeat patient assessment, new consults, and minor procedures.
Teaching / Grand Rounds, prior to clinic.
Block OR day for complex cases at St. Joseph's King Street campus: glaucoma drainage devices, advanced cataracts, secondary IOL implantation, vitrectomies. Emergent consults reviewed with the resident on call.
Post-op and urgent cases back at clinic, or research time. 4–14 weeks a year, this slot is glaucoma teaching for the residency program — the fellow joins and helps teach.
Block OR day for routine cases at Joseph Brant Hospital, Burlington: routine cataracts and routine glaucoma surgery.
Research time once the OR day is done.
Clinic — new consults, assessments, and small procedures.
Protected research afternoon.
Clinical research is encouraged — we have the volume.
Research isn't an add-on — it's built into the weekly schedule, with the expectation of full involvement from protocol to publication. Past fellows have presented their projects at national and international meetings, and submitted them for publication.
Protocol development & REB submission
Competence in developing a research protocol and navigating the Research Ethics Board process from submission onward.
Recruitment, data, and analysis
Hands-on involvement in patient recruitment, data collection, and analysis — not handed off to a research coordinator.
Publication & conference presentation
Submissions for meetings and publications are expected. Conference funding — travel, lodging, registration — is provided when the fellow is presenting.
Two cities, one short drive apart.
The fellow operates out of two sites: the Hamilton Regional Eye Institute at St. Joseph's Healthcare in Hamilton, and Joseph Brant Hospital in Burlington — about 20 minutes apart along the lake.
- Two sitesComplex cases run at St. Joseph's in Hamilton; routine OR days run at Joseph Brant in Burlington — both a short, lake-side drive from each other.
- CommuteNeither city carries a GTA-scale commute — most fellows live within a 10–20 minute drive of both hospital sites.
- OutdoorsThe Niagara Escarpment runs through both cities — over 100 waterfalls within Hamilton's limits, plus Burlington's waterfront trail along Lake Ontario.
- Toronto accessGO Train and highway access from either city make Toronto a realistic weekend, not a pilgrimage.
- Cost of livingMeaningfully lower housing costs than Toronto or Vancouver, without giving up a genuine restaurant and arts scene.
Friends for Life
The difficult cases forge the bond. Working through a complex surgery together, reviewing complications honestly, sharing in the outcome — that shared experience develops into genuine friendship, not mere supervision. Mentorship runs in both directions here: Dr. Hasanee learns something from every fellow he trains, just as they learn from him. The relationship endures well beyond the fellowship year. All past fellows have gone on to great things, and are more than willing to share their experience candidly.
Dr. Corinne Lahoud
Beirut Eye & ENT Specialist Hospital (BESH)
School of Medicine and Medical Sciences, Holy Spirit University, Kaslik, Lebanon
Dr. Biana Dubinsky-Pertzov
Ivey Eye Institute
University of Western Ontario (UWO)
London, Ontario, Canada
Dr. Anan Aljawi
King Abdulaziz Medical City
Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
Dr. Ala Bashir
Technion - Israel Institute of Technology
Haifa, Israel
Want to hear about the experience firsthand? Reach out to be connected with a past fellow.
Before you apply.
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How to apply
Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis beginning July 1, 2026, for the fellowship year starting July 2027. Interviews are being conducted over the summer and early fall.
We're listed on SF Match — search "PR12007 McMaster Anterior Segment & Glaucoma (MASG) Fellowship" under the Ophthalmology Fellowship Match to apply directly.
Visit SF Match →Submit application
Up-to-date CV, a personal letter of interest, and three reference letters. Apply through SF Match or by emailing the Fellowship Director directly.
File review
Reviewed directly by the Fellowship Director.
Interview
Conducted on a rolling basis starting July 1, 2026. Final application deadline is October 31, 2026, with candidate selection made approximately mid-December 2026.
Ranking & offer
Applicants are ranked following interviews. Final selection will be made by mid-December 2026 — 1–2 candidates may be selected depending on demand.