Short-Term Training in Ophthalmology Research for Medical Students

Project Summary This application is a competitive renewal of the National Eye Institute's T35 grant to encourage the next generation of ophthalmology physician-scientists by providing a structured research environment. Our training program aims to introduce students to research early on, sparking a lasting interest in research careers. Exposing students to advanced concepts in ophthalmology beyond the standard medical school curriculum also encourages further research in this specialty. To meet the ongoing and increasing demand of IUSM medical students for opportunities in eye research, this application seeks support to continue to enroll highly motivated and diverse students/ to conduct research in ophthalmology. This level of support is justified by sustained student participation over the past four years, along with student diversity and outstanding outcomes of our program. In parallel, we have strengthened our pool of mentors by recruiting an unprecedented pool of diverse mentors funded by NEI, helping to provide an innovative and cutting-edge research environment to develop tomorrow's physician-scientists. The program is now at an exciting inflection point, where the first phase of mentees matches an ophthalmology residency with a career in ophthalmology and the potential to become a physician-scientist. The program has shown resilience and adaptability to the COVID-19 pandemic, weathering to its current stage with the largest number of summer trainees. The objectives of our program are (i) introduce trainees to the research in ophthalmology, (ii) instill in trainees an interest in ophthalmology through didactic lectures, and hands-on clinical training; and (iii) offer trainees training in responsible conduct of research. To meet the above objectives, we will continue to offer a 12-week research experience. Program slots are requested for seven students, who will be paired with mentors selected from a pool of 18 participating faculty. Faculty research interests span basic, translational, and clinical research in major areas of ophthalmology, with strengths in retina, glaucoma, ocular surface, comprehensive, and pediatric ophthalmology. Innovative aspects of the enrichment activities include (i) integration with the Indiana University Medical Student Program for Research and Scholarship (IMPRS), a School-wide summer research program; (ii) a "boot camp" teaching trainees’ key basic concepts in vision science and clinical ophthalmology (iii) hands-on eye examination with increased frequency in this renewal (iv) half day career development symposium with the participation of T35 alumni (new during this renewal). The Department and School are deeply committed to this new T35 program, which will leverage the highly successful infrastructure of IMPRS while providing unique and ophthalmology-specific content and trainee slots. The program's long-term goal is to increase the pool of ophthalmology physician-scientists in Indiana and nationally by creating enthusiasm for vision science research through an engaging and comprehensive summer research opportunity.