Mentorship Builds Success

May 20, 2022

A high percentage of vision scientists at UCSF Department of Ophthalmology and the Francis I. Proctor Foundation lead research funded by the National Institutes for Health (NIH). This extraordinary success, combined with a deep commitment to mentorship, garnered UCSF Ophthalmology a $2.5 million, five-year grant from the National Eye Institute (NEI), under NIH, to develop the careers of the next generation of clinician scientists.

Co-Directors Yvonne Ou, MD, and Tom Lietman, MD, launched the UCSF-Proctor Clinician Vision Scholars K12 Program in 2020. Accomplished faculty mentors from a broad range of research disciplines provide guidance and training to exceptional and diverse junior faculty scholars as they develop impactful research programs, become independent investigators, and successfully advance their academic careers.

One or two junior patient-serving faculty members with a passion for research are chosen annually to participate in the intensive one-year program. The first two scholars, Cathy Sun, MD, and Tyson Kim, MD, PhD, were recently awarded NIH funding to advance their sight-saving research. This year’s scholars are Neel Pasricha, MD, and Seth Blumberg, MD, PhD. Learn more about their accomplishments here.