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Penn Vision Clinical Scientist Program
Teaching and Clinical Responsibilities
At least 75% of each trainee's activities will be devoted to the specific activities of the training program. Trainees will not be assigned responsibility for teaching or directing any formal courses, but will give specific lectures to medical students and residents on topics related to their area of research.
For more information, contact the Program Director:
Maureen G. Maguire, PhD
Professor of Ophthalmology
3535 Market Street, Suite 700
Philadelphia PA 19104-3309
(215) 615 1501
maguirem@mail.med.upenn.edu
K12 Qualifications for Candidates
- Clinical doctorate (MD, PhD, DO, OD, DVM)
- Completed clinical training (residency/fellowship and board-eligible) within past 5 years {there is some flexibility on this}
- 75% time devoted to program - funded by NEI; up to $30,000 per year per candidate for tuition, research supplies, equipment, travel
- US citizen, US National, or a permanent resident
- Cannot have been a Principal Investigator previously on career development awards (K08, K23, K24); research project grants (R01, R29); or subprojects on Program Project Grants (P01), center grants and their equivalent, or cooperative clinical trials
Background (From NEI Program Announcement)
Clinician scientists are critical for bridging the interface between basic and clinical vision research. Well-trained clinical investigators can assure that the findings of basic research are translated into the clinical setting. Programs designed to provide clinicians with the fundamental skills needed to engage in the many facets of modern clinical and patient-oriented vision research would help meet this objective. Our purpose is to train clinician-scientists to conceptualize, conduct, and lead innovative clinical and patient-oriented vision research. Clinical and patient-oriented research has become increasingly complex, and often requires an integrative or systems approach conducted by a multidisciplinary research team. Coordinated multidisciplinary training programs that integrate both research and didactic training can be an important and effective means to accomplish these training and career development goals for the clinician.
The University of Pennsylvania's Department of Ophthalmology ranks fourth in the nation among all departments of ophthalmology in the receipt of NEI funds. In addition, investigators have been successful in competing for funds from non-governmental agencies and foundations such as Research to Prevent Blindness, the Whittaker Foundation, International Retina Research Foundation, and the Steinbach foundation. The members of the Advisory Committee and Lead Mentors, all of whom hold one or more externally funded grants, will provide a diverse set of research opportunities in patient oriented research and in clinical research. If the research interests of the candidate do not match well with any of the individuals mentioned below, other senior faculty members within the Penn vision community may serve as Lead Mentors. Lead Mentors will also guide trainees in the selection of appropriate ancillary research activities with colleagues and collaborators within the University and at other institutions that will be of special benefit to a particular trainee.
