Some of the program's participants and mentors: Shahzad I. Mian, M.D., Angela R. Elam, M.D., Oluyemi Olumolade, Keith D. Carter, M.D., F.A.C.S., Tochukwu Ndukwe, Anjali Shah, M.D.
Kellogg has long supported diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives to address the under-representation of minority populations in ophthalmic care delivery, research participation and provider education.
The Health Equity Ophthalmology Summer Program provides students between their first and second years of medical school with an introduction to medical and surgical ophthalmology and with hands-on experience in health equity research.
Clinical assistant professor and medical student clerkship director Ariane Kaplan, M.D., directs the program. “We’ve designed the experience to help students build their resumes with the fundamentals of both ophthalmology and research,” she explains, “which will be beneficial regardless of what direction their careers ultimately head.”
Students work with a mentor on a DEI-related research project and shadow Kellogg faculty members in the clinic and the operating room. Research projects have included examining disparities in diabetic retinopathy treatment based on race, ethnicity and income, and surveying the eye care resources and care delivery options available to Michigan’s Native American population.
The summer ends with students presenting their research at a local meeting such as Kellogg's DEI grand rounds, or a national forum such as the Rabb-Venable Excellence in Research event held during the annual convention of the National Medical Association.