# Short term training: Professional Students in Optometry Schools

> **NIH EY T35** · OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY · 2026 · $54,332

## Abstract

Project Summary/Abstract
The long-term objective of this program is to expand the number of optometrists trained in research within the
profession of optometry to ensure a strong pipeline of individuals available to address the visual and ocular
needs of the aging population through rigorous clinical and basic research. This program achieves this goal by
exposing optometry students to vision research early in their clinical degree program through a short-term
training program in vision research. By exposing optometry students to research early in their clinical program,
students are still agile to expand their educational goals, such as by subsequently enrolling in a combined
OD/MS degree, or even later earning a PhD in vision science. This proposal is a renewal of a successful 25
year short-term training program whose 213 past trainees have been involved in producing more than 250
scientific abstracts and 78 peer-reviewed publications. In addition, 125 past trainees have completed or are
pursuing a Master’s Degree in Vision Science, and 10 have completed and 2 are pursuing a PhD in Vision
Science at The Ohio State University. The graduate program in vision science at The Ohio State University has
a long track record of training optometrists for careers as clinician scientists. The program has yielded many
NIH funded investigators, clinical trialists, and significant contributors to the field of vision science. Support is
requested for eight training slots per year to provide a 3 month training experience in research for optometry
students in the summer months following their first year of the optometry program. The program is housed
within the College of Optometry at The Ohio State University and led by the Chair of the Graduate Program in
Vision Science. Participating faculty include 20 members of the graduate faculty in Vision Science who each
run independent research labs and are involved in the training of MS and PhD students enrolled in the
graduate program in

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 11408675
- **Project number:** 5T35EY007151-27
- **Recipient organization:** OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Heather Anne Anderson
- **Activity code:** T35 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** EY
- **Fiscal year:** 2026
- **Award amount:** $54,332
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 1998-05-01T00:00:00 → 2030-03-31T00:00:00

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/11408675

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 11408675, Short term training: Professional Students in Optometry Schools (5T35EY007151-27). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-20 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/11408675. Licensed CC0.

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