VISUAL SCIENCES TRAINING PROGRAM

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Twenty-eight scientists in the Visual Sciences Research Center at Case Western Reserve University seek continued support for a Visual Sciences Training Program. The faculty comprises a multi-disciplinary vision sciences research community encompassing the Departments of Biomedical Engineering, Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Genetics, Molecular Medicine, Medicine, Molecular Biology & Microbiology, Neurology, Neurosciences, Ophthalmology, Pathology, Pharmacology and Physiology and Biophysics. Expansion of capabilities and productivity in the field of vision research has led to its selection as a priority in strategic planning at the Case Western Reserve University. The momentum behind the expansion of the NEI Core grant-supported Visual Sciences Research Center has produced a dramatic increase in the number of vision scientists and extramural support for their research. This atmosphere affords an ideal training opportunity for vision scientists. The Visual Sciences Research Center and collaborative research of its participating faculty provides an overall framework for the Visual Sciences Training Program. In addition, as vision research has expanded at Case, there has been a natural evolution of five research/training groups that have distinct identities but also considerable overlap among participants. This Institutional Training Grant renewal application is organized around the five thematic groups (a) Retinal Biology and Visual System Development, (b) Extraocular Muscle Biology, (c) Ocular Consequences of Aging and Diabetes, (d) Ocular Immunology and Inflammation, and (e) Translational Research. Support is requested for six predoctoral student positions and two postdoctoral positions in all years. The demands of our program are such that only students of the highest potential are admitted. Students will receive training in department-specific, vision research theme-specific, and laboratory-based settings. Collectively, this approach will ensure that our trainees will be able to pose biologically and clinically relevant questions in the visual sciences without being restricted by either discipline or methodology. The training program is supported by the resources of the twenty-eight vision scientists, the Core modules of the Visual Science Research Center, and the broader resources of Case Western Reserve University, University Hospitals of Cleveland and the VA Medical Center.