# Minority Pipeline Program in Ophthalmology: Rabb Venable Excellence in Research in conjunction with the Ophthalmology Section of the National Medical Association

> **NIH NIH R13** · NATIONAL MEDICAL ASSOCIATION · 2021 · $70,000

## Abstract

Minority Excellence Pipeline Program in Ophthalmology - NIH NEI R13 – PA-16-294
The goal of the Rabb-Venable Excellence in Research Program (RV) is to increase the number
of under-represented minority physicians in ophthalmology and academic medicine. The
program is a pipeline process to expose medical students and resident/fellows to role models,
skills needed in medical practice and teaching, research opportunities and to provide mentoring.
While on NEI council, Mildred MG Olivier, MD challenged the group to find more under-
represented minorities (URM) to submit grants. For her part, she applied for a grant which
would have impact on increasing the number of under-represented minorities in ophthalmology.
The grant funded the continuation of the RV Program which had been in existence since 2000
when Lenworth Johnson, MD (past NEI council member) launched a research program inviting
medical students, residents/fellows to the Annual Meeting of the National Medical Association
(NMA) to present their work. The NMA was founded in 1895 because the American Medical
Association did not allow African American physicians membership to their organization.
Now more than 30,000 NMA physicians participate, working to eliminate the disparities in
healthcare. Those racial and ethnic disparities cost the US $1.24 trillion with $229 billion in
direct cost for medical care associated with disparities.1 Thirty percent of the US population are
URM, however only 9% are medical doctors (Figure 1). Even fewer URM physicians are
specialists. The RV Program has proven outcomes in placing and supporting URM students in
subspecialty training.
Figure 1. Minority representation in health related fields.2
Over the next five year period, the RV Program expects to build on its longitudinal success by a)
expanding the number of participants to 60 by 2021; b) enriching the understanding of both
students and mentors of the health impacts of disparities; c) enlisting additional physician
mentors to work with the medical students and residents/fellows between meetings; and d)
developing sources for supplemental funding to assure program sustainability.
1 John A. Poisal, M. Kent Clemens and Joseph Lizonitz et. al.. “The Outlook Health Spending Projections
Through 2018: Recession Effects Add Uncertainty.” Health Affairs 28, no.2 (2009):w346-w357, originally
published online February 24, 2009. doi: 10.1377/hlthaff.28.2.w346.
2 Thomas LaVeist And Colleagues from the Johns Hopkins University and the University of Maryland,
Kaiser Family Foundation Study commissioned by The Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies,
2008. http://kff.org/other/state-indicator/total-active-physicians/

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10203988
- **Project number:** 5R13EY016936-13
- **Recipient organization:** NATIONAL MEDICAL ASSOCIATION
- **Principal Investigator:** EYDIE G MILLER
- **Activity code:** R13 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $70,000
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2008-07-10 → 2023-05-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10203988

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10203988, Minority Pipeline Program in Ophthalmology: Rabb Venable Excellence in Research in conjunction with the Ophthalmology Section of the National Medical Association (5R13EY016936-13). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-25 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10203988. Licensed CC0.

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