Interdisciplinary Visual Sciences (IVS) Training Program

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PROJECT SUMMARY It clearly emerges from NEI's 2012 strategic plan “Vision Research: Needs, Gaps and Opportunities” that vision research embraces every discipline in the biological sciences, cognitive sciences, and clinical realms. Vision scientists are aware of the critical importance of interdisciplinary approaches in their research, and of the need for rapid translation of findings in basic research to clinical care. Accordingly, the next generation of vision scientists will need to develop their scientific skills within an environment that stresses cutting edge science, interdisciplinary cooperation, an understanding of the visual system, and exposure to clinical ophthalmology. The Interdisciplinary Visual Sciences (IVS) Training Program is focused on creating a training environment that will favor interactions and collaborations among vision scientists, that involves predoctoral students and postdoctoral fellows in interdisciplinary approaches to understanding the visual system and ocular diseases, and that provides thoughtful and targeted professional development activities to ensure trainees receive necessary career skills that enable them to be successful in long-term research careers. Although this T32 application focuses on training of basic scientists, our trainees will have frequent interactions with clinical ophthalmologists, attend lecturers in our didactic vision course entitled “Biology of Vision”, and have close interactions with physician-scientists through course work, seminars, and data clubs. Our T32 training program draws graduate students from several shared graduate programs at the University of Pittsburgh and Carnegie Mellon University, which provide the structure and basic curriculum for trainees. The IVS T32 Program builds on this strong foundation by providing specialized training in vision research combined with professional development activities and frequent team mentoring. The IVS T32 Program also provides a structure for training of postdoctoral fellows in vision research that will coordinate with the significant support structure already in place at the University of Pittsburgh and Carnegie Mellon University. Finally, the IVS T32 Program provides mentor training for Preceptors, an emerging theme in biomedical science research as critical for the long-term retention and success of trainees in research careers. The IVS T32 program will strive to attract the brightest students and postdocs with the following overarching goals 1) to provide interdisciplinary, cutting-edge training in vision science research and its responsible and ethical conduct; 2) to provide thoughtful, career-specific professional development opportunities to increase their retention in the vision sciences, as well as more broadly in the biomedical workforce; and 3) to enhance interactions, collaborations and the overall quality of vision research among trainees and faculty at the University of Pittsburgh and Carnegie Mellon University