Career
Opportunities
for ODs in
Academia
Teaching & Research
Needs
Need More Optometry Faculty
Teaching Needs
 Profession
is growing
 More schools
 Expansion of Scope requires greater
range of expertise
 Fewer instructors with ODs are teaching
basic science in optometry schools
Need More Optometry Faculty
Research Needs
 Current
production of OD, PhDs or OD, MS
is just a trickle
 There are many topics in “Traditional”
Optometry that need research
 Biomedical topics, i.e. within the
expanded scope, have only a handful of
OD researchers
Why Bother with Science?
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Every instrument, every procedure, every
treatment you use in clinic has a background
in science
Smart clinicians ask why?
Leads to basic, translational & clinical studies
that improve patient care
Optometry’s authenticity & legitimacy is
enhanced because ODs do research
Optometry must not simply be a consumer of
knowledge, it must contribute as well.
Academic Entry Points
 Traditional:
MS and PhD programs
 Residency: Many provide teaching
responsibilities; often needed for faculty
positions
 NEW: K12 Mentored Clinical Scientist
Development Program– Training in
Clinical/Translational research--Is not
necessarily a degree program
K12 NEI Mentored
Clinical Scientist
Development Program
(NEI website lists six programs)
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UC Berkeley Optometry
Wilmer
Univ. of Penn
Duke
Harvard-Mass Eye & Ear
Univ. of Illinois
K12
http://www.nei.nih.gov/funding/neifm.asp
 Three
to five years of training
 Purpose: support career development of
clinical scientists
 Translate basic science advances to clinic
 Berkeley program offers your current
faculty salary
 Possible to get release & return to current
institution
Graduate Programs at Schools
and Colleges of Optometry
Indiana University: MS, PhD
 MCPHS: OD/MPH
 NECO: MS, OD/PhD with Boston University
 Nova Southeastern: MS
 The Ohio State University: MS, PhD
 Pacific University: MS, MEd
 PCO at Salus University: MSc
 SCCO at Marshall B. Ketchum University: MS
 SUNY: MS, PhD
 UAB: MS, PhD
 UCB: MS, PhD
 University of Houston: MS, PhD
http://www.opted.org/about-optometriceducation/graduate-programs/
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Major Sources
of Financial Support
 Fee
remissions, stipends, teaching &
research assistantships, & training grants
from the institutional graduate program
 NIH- Loan Repayment Program, up to
$70,000
 AOF Ezell Fellowships
 Individual NIH K23 (clinician scientist) or
KO8 (research training) grants
Summary
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Little or no tuition/fees: $0 out
Receive a modest stipend for living expenses:
some $ in
Potential to increase salary through KO8 or
K23 (e.g.$60-80K/year) grants: a lot of $ in
Potential to have a substantial portion of
Optometry school loans repaid: reduce debt
Very competitive for teaching or research
jobs
How to get started?
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If you like to ask why, enjoy the discovery
process, or want to advance the state of
patient care, then a post-OD degree may be
for you
Talk to the research director at your school
To see if research is appealing, some
optometry schools have NEI supported
summer research programs that will pay you
a stipend, including: IU, NECO, OSU, UCB, UH