Clinical Research Fellowship Award (CRFA) Grant

The Clinical Research Fellowship Award (CRFA) offers $65,000 per year for medical doctors in fellowships focusing on inherited retinal degenerations. Its aim is to nurture clinician-scientists dedicated to enhancing clinical care for patients with retinal diseases. Awardees will engage in clinically focused research and training tailored to their needs, excluding projects related to age-related macular degeneration or vitreoretinal surgery. This initiative supports the development of future leaders in academic medicine.

The CRFA program provides funding for medical doctors in clinical fellowships examining orphan inherited retinal degenerations. The goal is to increase the number of clinician-scientists with expertise and a commitment to provided clinical care to patients with inherited retinal disease. This program prepares burgeoning doctors for careers in academic medicine, provides critical training in an environment that fosters research to develop preventions, treatments, and cures for retinal degenerations. The funding supports up to three post-residency clinicians for one (1) year at $65,000 per year.
Research and Clinical Training Components
Award recipients must carry out a clinically focused research project and  clinical training program with didactic and other forms of training tailored to meet the individual needs of the award recipient. Research projects and clinical training activities must focus on inherited orphan retinal degenerative diseases. Support will not be provided for research and clinical training relating to dry or wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD), retinal detachment, or vitreoretinal surgery.
More details about the Research Project and Clinical Training requirements can be viewed here.

Eligibility

Clinicians who possess an M.D., D.O., O.D., or recognized equivalent foreign degree by the time the fellowship starts and will be eligible for subspecialty board certification at the completion of their training program are eligible to applyOphthalmology residents or fellows with an interest in inherited orphan retinal degenerations could apply for both a fellowship position and a CRFA in the final year of their residency program.Ophthalmology residents or fellows with an interest in inherited orphan retinal degenerations could apply for a CRFA the year before applying for the fellowship position itself, allowing the applicant and institution to know about funding prior to the fellowship application.Applications may be submitted on behalf of candidates by domestic and foreign, public and private, academic institutions, as well as hospitals and laboratories affiliated with such institutions. In all cases, collaboration between the applicant and the fellowship mentor will be required to develop the application.

Ineligibility

No indirect costs are paid.