Stanford Vision Training Program

PROJECT SUMMARY This program will renew the NEI T32 Stanford Vision Training Program. Based on excellence in postdoctoral training among our vision science faculty, our goal is to provide a vision-specific research training program with integrated clinical experience to the talented trainees aiming for careers as vision scientists and clinician-scientists. Specifically, we seek training support for 4 postdoctoral fellow slots per budget year for the next five years. The 38 primary vision research faculty in the Stanford Vision Training Program includes 21 PhDs, 4 MDs, and 13 MD/PhDs of all academic ranks, with strengths in diverse areas, including molecular and cellular vision biology, vision encoding and circuitry, development and genetics, in vivo imaging, higher order visual behavior and perception, mechanisms of diseases, and different approaches to the treatment of diseases. Together, the core vision faculty is currently funded by 140 grants totaling over $36M annually, of which 38 grants are from the NEI, 60 grants are from the NIH (including NEI), and the rest are from the Department of Defense, National Science Foundation, and various foundations. These are supplements with strong institutional support and commitment. Following the success from our first program cycle, developments to strengthen the next cycle of the Stanford Vision Training Program include leveraging the Stanford Ophthalmology Advanced Research Residency Program and enhancing our Executive Committee, External Advisory Committee, and Trainee Mentoring Committees. Efforts will continue towards the recruitment of a highly skilled cohort of vision research faculty to Stanford; unparalleled institutional resources committed by the department and by the Stanford University School of Medicine; formal classroom, clinical and laboratory training under the auspices of carefully crafted training plans; and ongoing semi-monthly and annual vision research symposia. Together with a consistently large, productive and diverse applicant pool, these will allow the Stanford Vision Training Program to produce future leaders in eye and vision research who are able to tackle the most interesting and important questions and open new horizons at Stanford and beyond.