T32 Grant

Accelerates vision research training at UW

first T32 Training Grant AWARDED for a vision research training program (vrtp-t32) from the National Eye Institute, National Institutes of Health

Students will engage in a robust program focused on the understanding and exploration of the visual system and its diseases. They will participate in discussions and lectures ranging from the molecular and cell biology of the photo-transduction pathway (the process that converts light into a neurological signal), to the networks of neuronal connections in the retina and the brain, to the clinical management of major ophthalmic diseases. As part of this program, students will complete a comprehensive course titled, “Ocular Diseases of the Mammalian Visual System.” This competitive grant within the University of Wisconsin-Madison Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences supports the training of two graduate students and one postdoctoral student every one to two years, over the next five years.

Meet the Trainees

Raymond Doudlah

Predoctoral T32 Vision Research Trainee

doudlah@wisc.edu

Jacob Khoussine

Predoctoral T32 Vision Research Trainee

jkhoussine@wisc.edu

Philip Mzyk

Postdoctoral T32 Vision Research Trainee

pmzyk@wisc.edu

Past Trainees

Kim Edwards (2021) – Trainer: David Gamm, MD, PhD
Michael Landowski (2020-2021) – Trainer: Akihiro Ikeda, PhD
Ryan Donahue (2019-2020) – Trainer: Robert Nickells, PhD
Sarah Rempel (2019-2020) – Trainer: Timothy Gomez, PhD
Kara Vogel (2019) – Trainer: Gillian McLellan, PhD, BVMS

Training graduate and postdoctoral students lies at the core of research programs at the University of Wisconsin–Madison.

Program Leadership

Curtis R. Brandt, PhD

UW Medical Foundation Professor; Vice Chair of Research

David M. Gamm, MD, PhD

Professor, Director of the McPherson Eye Research Institute

Ronald E. Gangnon, PhD

Professor, Department of Population Health Sciences and the Department of Biostatistics and Medical Informatics

ronald@biostat.wisc.edu

Robert W. Nickells, PhD

Frederick A. Davis Chair of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences Professor

Donna Peters, PhD

Professor, Pathology and Laboratory Medicine

dmpeter2@wisc.edu

Nader Sheibani, PhD

Professor, Retina Research Foundation Alice R. McPherson Research Chair

Terri L. Young, MD, MBA, FARVO

Chair, Peter A. Duehr Professor of Ophthalmology, Pediatrics and Medical Genetics

Inna V. Larsen

Multi-Functional Research Administrator, Vision Core & T32 Administrator

ivlarsen@wisc.edu

(608) 265-2572

TRAINING AREAS AND TRAINERS

admission

The Vision Research Training Program (VTRP) is open to pre- and post-doctoral students at UW-Madison who are interested in vision research and whose mentors are trainers (listed above). Please direct inquiries about the program to Inna Larsen. The VRTP is not a degree-granting program but is recognized as a core learning program by a number of biomedical graduate programs on campus.

Considering UW-Madison for graduate or post-graduate training?

Information for prospective graduate students from the UW-Madison Graduate School: https://grad.wisc.edu/apply/prepare/
Information for prospective postdoctoral fellows from the UW-Madison Office of Postdoctoral Studies: https://postdoc.wisc.edu/

Additionally, the Bioscience Initiative for Recruiting and Networking (BIRN) program has a Youtube channel showcasing UW-Madison’s strength of research, the welcoming and collaborative environment and virtual tours of the university and the city. It also has an emphasis on diversity and highlights the SciMed Graduate Research Scholars Program for graduate students from underrepresented groups.

“We are looking forward to students conducting their own projects in the tradition of ‘bench-to-bedside’ that has been a mainstay of the outstanding research training that makes the University of Wisconsin–Madison famous,” says Dr. Nickells, professor and principal investigator for the T32 grant.

The Vision Research Update Seminar is a forum for trainees to present their research and learn about diverse vision research projects at UW. The seminars happen on the first Tuesday on the month at 10 AM (currently virtually). Please check the DOVS events calendar for details.

Sep 10

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