This proposal is for a 5 year research career development plan for Kristina Tarczy-Hornoch, MD, DPhil, to support her transition from a laboratory research background toward an independent patient-oriented research career in pediatric ophthalmology. The development plan consists of (1) structured training: coursework in epidemiology, biostatistics and public health leading to an MPH degree, courses and seminars in research ethics and career development, seminars in ophthalmology and preventive medicine, and practical exposure to clinical research through the research activities of mentors and consultants; (2) mentored clinical research. Her mentoring committee consists of Rohit Varma, MD, MPH, Stanley Azen, PhD, and Mark Borchert, MD, with consultation support from Joseph Miller, MD, MPH and Rowan Candy, MCOptom, PhD. The mentored research study will address a long-standing controversy over the value of early spectacle treatment for young children with hypermetropia, to prevent strabismus and amblyopia.
The aims are to recruit 100 children 6-24 months of age with isolated hypermetropia, and conduct a randomized, controlled trial of spectacle treatment, describing the incidence of strabismus/amblyopia by age 3.5 years, as well as visual acuity outcomes, optic disc size, emmetropization, and the prognostic value of accommodative lag. The University of Southern California (USC) strongly supports Dr. Tarczy-Hornoch, and the environment at USC and Childrens Hospital Los Angeles is well-suited to her career development plan. The proposal would lead to (1) her establishment as an independent clinical investigator, and (2) completion of a study addressing a question with important public health implications, likely leading to a large multi-site randomized clinical trial under the auspices of the Pediatric Eye Disease Investigator Group. ? ?

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Eye Institute (NEI)
Type
Mentored Patient-Oriented Research Career Development Award (K23)
Project #
5K23EY016699-02
Application #
7124700
Study Section
Special Emphasis Panel (ZEY1-VSN (05))
Program Officer
Miskala, Paivi
Project Start
2005-09-30
Project End
2010-08-31
Budget Start
2006-09-01
Budget End
2007-08-31
Support Year
2
Fiscal Year
2006
Total Cost
$188,159
Indirect Cost
Name
Children's Hospital of Los Angeles
Department
Type
DUNS #
052277936
City
Los Angeles
State
CA
Country
United States
Zip Code
90027
Manh, Vivian; Chen, Angela M; Tarczy-Hornoch, Kristina et al. (2015) Accommodative performance of children with unilateral amblyopia. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci 56:1193-207
Tarczy-Hornoch, Kristina (2012) Accommodative lag and refractive error in infants and toddlers. J AAPOS 16:112-7
Tarczy-Hornoch, Kristina (2009) Modified bell retinoscopy: measuring accommodative lag in children. Optom Vis Sci 86:1337-45
Tarczy-Hornoch, Kristina (2007) The epidemiology of early childhood hyperopia. Optom Vis Sci 84:115-23