The Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences has initiated the Michigan Ophthalmology Trainee Career Development Award (MOTCDA), an academic grant program that encourages residents and trainees to pursue projects they are passionate about. Recipients of the award select faculty at Kellogg and throughout the campus to partner with them in accomplishing their goals.
MOTCDA Award Recipients
- Osama Ahmed, MD
Research Proposal: “A needs assessment and identification of barriers to the implementation of tele-ophthalmology based diabetic retinopathy screenings in Northern Pakistan” - Anvesh Annadaman, MD
Research Proposal: “Social determinants of health affecting visual outcomes in microbial keratitis”; Travel to Aravind Eye Hospital - Karen L. Christopher, MD
Research proposal: "Ocular GVHD monitoring and treatments in absence of PROSE" - Abigail T. Fahim, MD, PhD
Research proposal: “X-Chromosome Inactivation Ratios and Variable Expressivity in Heterozygotic Female Carriers of RPGR Mutations” - Ryan J. Fante, MD
Research proposal: "Vitreous Cytokine and Chemokine Profile in Macular Edema Secondary to Diabetes and Central Retinal Vein Occlusion" - Sarah Garnai, MD
Research Proposal: “Correlation of escape of X chromosome inactivation and clinical phenotype in choroideremia carriers” - Philip S. Garza, MD, MSc
Research Proposal: "PAnGAEA: Periocular Anthropometry and Glaucoma Attitudes among Ethiopians and East Africans"; Travel to Ethiopia - Otana Jakpor, MD
Research Proposal: “Environmental Exposures & Vision in a French Mother-Child Cohort”; Travel to Institute for Advanced Biosciences, Grenoble, France - Otana Jakpor, MD
Research Proposal: “Environmental exposures & vision in a French mother-child cohort”; Travel to La Tronche, Isère, Grenoble, France - Lee Kiang, MD, PhD
Research proposal: "Role of fractalkine, also known as CX3CL1, in retina-RPE separation” - Olivia Killeen, MD
Research Proposal: "Cornea transplantation in Taiwan"; Travel to National Taiwan University - Tyson Kim, MD, PhD
Research Proposal: "Development and application of iPhone-based retina camera for high-quality, low-cost diagnostics" - Monica Michelotti, MD
Research proposal: “Analysis of healthcare delivery systems in the US and UK through the prism of Ophthalmology” - Delaram Mirzania, MD
Research Proposal: “Environmental and clinical benefit of community based vision centers vs referral center visits” - Warren Pan, MD, MPhil, PhD
Research Proposal: “Pharmacologic activation of PKM2 as a gene-agnostic, novel treatment to prevent photoreceptor degeneration in a model of IRD” - Crandall E. Peeler, MD
MOTCDA research award used to travel to Bhairawa, Nepal to evaluate whether a low cost automated fundus camera can improve screening efforts in rural areas - Lev Prasov, MD, PhD
Research Proposal: "Validation of a novel nanophthalmos gene" - Ira H. Schachar, MD
Research proposal: "Laser retinectomy for the treatment of glaucoma" - Emily Schehlein, MD
Research Proposal: "A Comparison of two Aravind-Pondicherry Eye Camp Models for the Deterction of Posterio Segment Disease-A Clubster Randomised Trial"; Travel to Aravind Eye Camps - Nakul Shekhawat, MD, MPH
Research Proposal: "Telemedicine for prevention of posterior segment conditions in a low-resource setting: A prospective, randomized study"
- Kirsten Simmons, MD MHSc
Research Proposal: “Orbit/ orbital trauma Emergency Department visits and hospitalizations at Kingston Public Hospital” - Stephen Smith, MD
Research proposal: "Preclinical acute safety study of combined carboplatin and etoposide phosphate intravitreal injection therapy for retinoblastoma” - Andrew Stacey, MD, MS
Research proposal: “Assessing the role of topotecan as an adjunct chemotherapeutic agent in selective ophthalmic artery chemotherapy for children with retinoblastoma”
- Krista Stewart, MD
Research proposal: "Postoperative Pain Control After Enucleation or Evisceration, a Double-Masked, Randomized Controlled Trial of Plain 0.5% Bupivacaine versus Sustained-release Bupivacaine (Exparel)” - Erik Sweet, MD
Research Proposal: "Validation of a paraprofessional training method for international container clinic outreach"; Travel to Jamaica - Kevin Tozer, MD
Research proposal: "Kinetic Energy harvesting intraocular lens” - Alex Valentine, MD
Research Proposal: “Risk of retinal tear or rhegmatogenous retinal detachment following use of pilocarpine hcl 1.25% for treatment of presbyopia”
- Eric Weinlander, MD
Research Proposal: "Decision-making in complex ocular surgery" - Annie Wu, MD
Research Proposal: "Cataract surgery outcomes in early vs late day cases at a high volume cataract surgery practice"; Travel to Aravind Eye Hospital - Thomas Wubben, MD, PhD
Research Proposal: "Enzymatic and non-enzymatic regulatory roles of the glycolytic protein, PKM2, in photoreceptor survival"