RPB Physician-Scientist Award

RPB Physician-Scientist Awards promote the clinical and/or basic science research of clinicians. The award, $300,000, is payable in two (2) payments, $150,000 per payment upon approval of a 14-month substantive progress report. Up to three (3) Physician-Scientist Awards will be given in two (2) categories.  RPB is partnering with The Mary Tyler Moore Vision Initiative to co-fund one (1) award.  Up to two (2) additional awards will be funded by RPB.

> The RPB / Mary Tyler Moore Vision Initiative Physician-Scientist Award will focus on retinal research with an emphasis on expanding relevant knowledge and developing methods to preserve and restore visual function in diabetic retinopathy, diabetic macular edema, and diabetic retinal neurodegeneration [collectively Diabetic Retinal Disease (DRD)].  Relevant areas include research related to DRD clinical endpoints and biomarkers, retinal vascular dropout and vessel integrity, retinal neuroprotection and regeneration, AI-enhanced diagnostics and therapeutics as well as related stem-cell research, gene therapy, tissue transfection, etc.  Innovative proposals to address restoration of vision in end-stage diabetic retinopathy are encouraged.

> The RPB Physician-Scientist Award will not have a specific scientific focus and is open to any topic within vision research.

RPB-grantee department chairs may nominate up to two candidates per department  -- one candidate per award listed above.  MDs or MD/PhDs holding primary appointments as Assistant Professor or Associate Professor in ophthalmology departments are eligible. PhDs are not eligible.  Candidates are required to devote at least 25% of their time to research and at least 20% of their time to clinical activity.  Candidates are not required to have R01s but such funding will be viewed favorably.  Awardees will be required to expend the award within three (3) years if granted the full $300,000. Otherwise, the awardee is required to expend the initial $150,000 award within two (2) years.  

Only current RPB-grantee departments of ophthalmology may nominate candidates for the Physician-Scientist Award. 

The fall cycle application deadline for the Physician-Scientist Award is July 1, with nomination forms due no later than June 15.   This award is not available during the spring cycle.  Applications received without a prior nomination form will not be accepted.  This award is not available during the spring cycle. (If the nomination or application deadline falls on a weekend or holiday, consider the following business day the deadline.) 

The nomination and application forms as well as the guidelines and instructions for this award are available below. 

RPB Physician-Scientist Award Nomination Form

RPB Physician-Scientist Award Application Form

RPB Physician-Scientist Award Guidelines / Instructions