Michigan Vision Clinician-Scientist Development Program

The University of Michigan has a long tradition of excellence in vision research and in training clinician-scientists.

Through a National Institutes of Health K12 Training Grant, the University of Michigan Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences has developed the Michigan Vision Clinician-Scientist Development Program, a distinctive mentored training program designed to recruit, train, and mentor ophthalmologists who plan to develop research programs in tandem with their clinical practice.

The program is designed to ensure success of clinician-scientists in ophthalmology, visual sciences, and health services research by providing protected research time, core instruction, and a range of skills to enable clinician-scientists to manage a major research enterprise. We are one of six ophthalmology departments in the nation to have received this award.

About the Program

Those selected to participate in the program will work with outstanding scientists in vision research. Trainees will also benefit from Michigan’s multidisciplinary research environment and diverse range of projects available, from investigating stem cells to exploring retinal stem cells and regeneration, diabetic retinopathy, epidemiology and biostatistics, and thyroid eye disease.

The Training Faculty consists of members of five basic science departments and two clinical departments.

What Does the Program Provide?

Trainees will follow one of two paths for laboratory or clinic-based studies from broad areas of biomedical research.

Path 1 will provide scholars in the laboratory sciences with the knowledge and technologies needed to study fundamental mechanisms and pathogenesis of vision-threatening diseases.

Path 2 will provide scholars in the clinical sciences with leading-edge knowledge and technologies to conduct patient-based investigations.

How to Apply

Please contact Thomas W. Gardner, M.D., M.S. via phone or email:

University of Michigan
Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences
1000 Wall Street, Ann Arbor, MI 48105
Phone:  734-232-8283
Email:  [email protected]

Vision Research Training Faculty

Dr. David Antonetti

David A. Antonetti, PhD

Roger W. Kittendorf Research Professor of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences
Professor, Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences
Professor, Molecular & Integrative Physiology
Scientific Director, Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences
Office: 734-232-8230; Lab: 734-615-3821

Peter Arvan, M.D., Ph.D.

William K and Delores S Brehm Professor of Type 1 Diabetes Research
Professor of Internal Medicine
Professor of Molecular and Integrative Physiology
Section Head, Division of Metabolism, Endocrinology, and Diabetes, Medical School
Dr. Victor Elner

Victor M. Elner, MD, PhD

Ravitz Foundation Professor of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences
Professor, Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences
Professor, Pathology
Dr. Philip Gage

Philip J. Gage, PhD

Associate Professor Emeritus, Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences
Office: 734-936-9547; Lab: 734-763-5699
Dr. Thomas Gardner

Thomas W. Gardner, MD, MS

Professor, Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences
Professor, Internal Medicine - Metabolism, Endocrinology, and Diabetes
Professor, Molecular & Integrative Physiology
Senior Scholar, A. Alfred Taubman Medical Research Institute

Daniel Goldman, Ph.D.

Bernard W Agranoff Collegiate Professor of Neuroscience
Professor of Biological Chemistry
Research Professor, Michigan Neuroscience Institute, Medical School
Dr. Peter Hitchcock

Peter F. Hitchcock, PhD

Professor, Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences
Professor, Cell and Developmental Biology
Office: 734-936-9547; Lab: 734-763-8170
Dr. Bret Hughes

Bret A. Hughes, PhD

Emeritus Professor, Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences
Emeritus Professor, Molecular and Integrative Physiology
Office: 734-936-9547; Lab: 734-936-8548
Dr. Paul Lee

Paul P. Lee, MD, JD

Executive Director, University of Michigan Medical Group
Senior Associate Dean, Clinical Affairs
Professor, Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences
Dr. David Musch

David C. Musch, PhD, MPH

Professor, Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences
Professor, Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health
Faculty Associate, Global REACH, Medical School
Faculty Member, Institute for Health Policy and Innovation
Office: 734-763-8175
Dr. Howard Petty

Howard Petty, PhD

Professor, Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences
Professor, Microbiology and Immunology
Office: 734-647-0384
Dr. Donald Puro

Donald G. Puro, MD, PhD

Professor, Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences
Professor, Molecular and Integrative Physiology
Dr. Julia Richards

Julia E. Richards, PhD

Professor Emerita, Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences
Professor Emerita, Epidemiology
Office: 734-763-8097
Dr. Terry Smith

Terry J. Smith, MD

Professor Emeritus, Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences
Professor Emeritus, Internal Medicine
Academic Office: 734-764-4163
Dr. Debra Thompson

Debra A. Thompson, PhD

Professor, Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences
Professor, Biological Chemistry
Office: 734-936-9504
Dr. David Zacks

David N. Zacks, MD, PhD

Edna H. Perkiss Research Professor of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences
Professor, Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences