The Department of Ophthalmology of Harvard Medical School and associated Harvard faculty with programs in molecular visual sciences offer an innovative training program that fosters research addressing the underlying molecular bases of eye diseases.

The program is designed to provide expertise in the most current molecular research techniques and knowledge of the outstanding problems in ophthalmology. Participants are expected to spend two to three years in training. Thirty faculty mentors, all with appointments or affiliations with the Department of Ophthalmology at Harvard Medical School, are drawn from laboratories of the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, the Schepens Eye Research Institute, the Brigham and Women's Hospital, the Massachusetts General Hospital, the Longwood Campus Basic Science Departments, and the Department of Molecular and Cell Biology on the Cambridge campus.

The mentors command well-funded programs in ophthalmic and vision research using current molecular techniques, and have excellent facilities. Trainees are expected to: (i) participate in full-time research to obtain a mastery of molecular techniques in biochemistry, cell biology, genetics, immunology, or neurobiology as applied to ophthalmology and vision; (ii) acquire training in ophthalmic problems through a series of didactic courses, clinical grand rounds, seminars, journal clubs, and meetings; and (iii) write and submit grant proposals to obtain individual support for the second and third year of training under the guidance of faculty presenting a formal course in principles of grant submission. The Harvard-wide vision research faculty seeks to train the next generation of investigators who can address problems of diagnosis, prevention, treatment, and cure of diseases of the eye.