Enhancement of Optometric Education with Basic, Applied and Clinical Research

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T35 Program Plan Enhancement of Optometric Education with Basic, Applied and Clinical Research Abstract The T35 Training Grant titled, Enhancement of Optometric Education with Basic, Applied and Clinical Research, seeks to afford qualified Optometry Interns the opportunity to pair with experienced research faculty to conduct basic, applied, clinical and translational research at the University of the Incarnate Word Rosenberg School of Optometry (UIWRSO). Objectives include (a) Faculty-Intern research committed to early detection, diagnosis, and treatment of ocular disease as well as basic and applied research which enhance our understanding of visual function leading to improvement of vision in normal and abnormal populations (b) inspire Interns to pursue postdoctoral research and academic activities and positions paving a course toward academic and research careers (c) foster collaboration with other UIW programs (Schools of Medicine, Pharmacy, Physical Therapy, Nursing, Math, Science and Engineering and Biomedical Sciences) as well as institutions and industry sharing common goals. The rationale for our proposal is predicated on our success with our Summer Fellowship Training Program (SFTP), active since 2011, allowing Interns to participate in faculty supervised research during the summer between first and second professional years. The SFTP has been highly successful yielding 17 peer-reviewed papers and 60 peer-reviewed poster and paper presentations at major meetings comparable to or exceeding major schools and colleges of optometry funded with T35 grants. While the SFTP is largely internally funded, previously supplemented by industry and a grant to increase diversity in optometric education, it closely mirrors current T35 programs, and we hope to continue our success. We propose that a T35 grant support four Interns per year for 8-week summer periods for a duration of five years.