Technological advances are contributing to significant progress in different areas of basic research. However, such advances often exceed their clinical translation. The vision community is not exempt from this dilemma. Resolution of the gap requires an interdisciplinary approach to training vision scientists in a collaborative setting of scientists and clinicians that will ultimately advance medical care. We are re-submitting a Vision Research Training Program (VRTP) T32 grant to help achieve this objective. The VRTP is an interdisciplinary training program in the visual sciences that crosses traditional department and institute boundaries. The goal of the program is to provide research training in basic science disciplines relevant to vision research. The VRTP also supports interdisciplinary, collaborative and translational research so that trainees are prepared to enter and compete within emerging, interactive research environments. Currently, there is no vision-related T32 grant or equivalent support mechanism at UW-Madison. In fact, any training in vision research is now conducted in a disbursed fashion with trainees mentored by individual faculty and not provided a broader context and cross collaboration among faculty from multiple disciplines. If funded, the VRTP will provide exceptional scientific training as well as provide a structure for interactions with translational and basic scientists to meet our stated goal of understanding, preventing and treating diseases of the visual system. VRTP will act as a focal point for the vision community on campus in accomplishing these research and societal objectives. UW-Madison is an outstanding environment for the training of future vision scientists and provides the essential elements for pre- and post-doctoral training. These include a Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences (DOVS) with equal exemplary prowess in research and clinical activities; the McPherson Eye Research Institute (MERI); a School of Medicine and Public Health (SMPH) with renown faculty and physical facilities; an equally renown Graduate School with Schools and Colleges containing numerous graduate programs and outstanding research mentors in the biological, engineering, and computational sciences; and a history of collegiality and collaborative research among faculty that allows students to develop into outstanding translational investigators. Sixteen faculty affiliated with DOVS and MERI currently comprise the VRTP. They are organized according to four areas of research emphasis: (a) Development and Diseases of the Anterior Segment, (b) Development and Diseases of the Posterior Segment; (c) Ocular Epidemiology and Genetics; (d) Higher Order Visual Processing. Support is being requested for 2 pre-doctoral trainees and 2 post-doctoral trainees. Pre-doctoral trainees will be supported by the training grant for 2-3 years and post-doctoral trainees for 1-3 years. Additional years of support will be obtained through several sources, including the Advisor's federal and non- federal funding, individual NRSA grants and SMPH and Graduate School resources. Training will consist of didactic and research components. Trainees will benefit from individual development plans as well as career planning and counseling. Significant institutional commitment to training will help ensure the success of the program, in addition to recruitment and retention plans to enhance diversity and plans for instruction in the responsible conduct of research.
A T32 pre- and post-doctoral training grant is being submitted to provide research training in basic science disciplines relevant to vision research and to support interdisciplinary, collaborative and translational research so that trainees are prepared to enter and compete within emerging, interactive research environments. The interdisciplinary training supported by the grant will cross traditional department and institute boundaries and will provide exceptional scientific training as well as provide a structure for interactions with clinical scientists and clinicians to meet the goal of understanding, preventing and treating diseases of the visual system. Sixteen faculty currently comprise the training proposal, and they are organized according to four areas of research emphasis: (a) Development and Diseases of the Anterior Segment of the Eye, (b) Development and Diseases of the Posterior Segment of the Eye; (c) Ocular Epidemiology and Genetics; (d) Higher Order Visual Processing.
