# Translational Vision Science Research at Oregon Health & Science University

> **NIH NIH T32** · OREGON HEALTH & SCIENCE UNIVERSITY · 2021 · $159,106

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
The premise of this proposal is that training the next generation of vision scientists in translation of basic
science research to clinical and public health interventions will be critical toward advancing the field. Basic
scientific and technological advances are occurring at an unprecedented pace. However, our observation has
been that ophthalmologists often lack the background to understand how recent basic and clinical research
findings may be applied to their practices, and visual scientists often lack adequate perspective to identify gaps
in clinical knowledge to guide their research. This application proposes to renew a successful T32 translational
vision research training program for students in pre-doctoral training programs in basic or applied science, or
postdoctoral fellows at Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU). The overall goal is to prepare individuals
for successful academic careers in vision science research through didactic education and intensive mentored
research experience in a multidisciplinary environment. The vision research and training environment at OHSU
is highly collaborative and interdisciplinary, with strong programmatic support in translation of research from
bench to bedside in areas such as gene therapy, molecular genetics, drug development, clinical trials,
ophthalmic imaging, and biomedical informatics. The university has top educational programs in clinical
ophthalmology and basic visual science, and is consistently ranked in the top 10 nationally in NEI-supported
research. This program fills an important gap in education because OHSU is one of the few major academic
medical centers in the Pacific Northwest, yet there are no other programs to support didactic training in visual
science research here. We will continue to leverage the existing infrastructure at OHSU to allow more pre-
doctoral and post-doctoral trainees to benefit from and contribute toward this research and educational
environment. Since 2013, we have supported 13 trainees (including 2 under-represented minorities and 3
women) who have published 60 peer-reviewed papers with their mentors in leading journals. Specifically, we
propose to continue this T32 program for 3 pre-doctoral and 1 post-doctoral trainee, which will be integrated
with ongoing research and existing OHSU graduate programs in basic science. Training consists of six key
components: (1) research projects with mentors and collaborators, (2) a didactic course covering fundamentals
of basic, clinical, and translational vision science, (3) twice-monthly vision research seminars for discussion of
ongoing research by trainees and faculty, along with weekly half-day teaching sessions, (4) institution-wide
education and career development activities, (5) a grant mentorship program to teach and support trainees as
they apply for their own, independent funding and (6) training in responsible conduct of research. We believe
this program will continue to provide a clini...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10249949
- **Project number:** 5T32EY023211-08
- **Recipient organization:** OREGON HEALTH & SCIENCE UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Yali Jia
- **Activity code:** T32 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $159,106
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2013-07-01 → 2024-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10249949

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10249949, Translational Vision Science Research at Oregon Health & Science University (5T32EY023211-08). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-21 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10249949. Licensed CC0.

---

*[NIH grants dataset](/datasets/nih-grants) · CC0 1.0*