2022-Annual-Report

Transformational Vision Science Research is in our DNA

Enriching the student experience and elevating patient care. The full scope of SUNY Optometry’s research— basic, translational, and clinical—provides a dynamic platform to explore diverse areas of vision research enriching the student, faculty, and patient experience. The College’s rigorous research on gene expression in the eye to identify the cellular and molecular mechanisms controlling eye growth and the development of myopia. In fact, this year, SUNY Optometry’s

research enterprise saw dramatic growth, placing the College among leading vision research institutions. In addition to the work that is taking place in the labs, the College’s Clinical Vision Research Center (CVRC), which oversees clinical trials and studies that impact the future of patient care, is in the process of being fully renovated and expanded. The more than 4,000 square foot future home is a result of the exponential growth realized in the CVRC since its launch in 2013. With over 90 studies and trials, the CVRC averages 20 studies per year, and currently has 10 ongoing trials. This provides students a rigorous intellectual platform for study and mentorship along with providing patients with leading-edge care, often at no cost.

and ongoing efforts, organized under the umbrella of the Graduate Center for Vision Research and conducted in the labs of top ranked faculty with the support of students in the MS and PhD programs, are designed to push the boundaries of vision science research and advance eye and vision care. The College is particularly efficient and strategic in how it conducts its research. Last year, SUNY Optometry was recognized as the most cost-effective research program of the 64-institution SUNY system by the Research Foundation for the State University of New York. Among all schools and colleges of optometry, the College continues to be among the top three institutions who receive funding, including support from industry through the Clinical Vision Research Center. Faculty and student researchers regularly break news with their work and earn important financial support for their efforts, including the ongoing brain mapping work of PhD student, Sohrab Najafian, under the coordination of Distinguished Professor Dr. Jose Manuel Alonso. Leveraging expertise, partnerships, and investments, faculty researchers earn prestigious grants for their work, including, most recently, a multimillion-dollar grant by the National Eye Institute for Dr. Stefanie Wohl’s research on regenerating retinal neurons to restore eyesight and Dr. David Troilo’s

2023 is the 10th anniversary of the Clinical Vision Research Center, which will celebrate with a new space and several new research grants on the horizon. Forging the Future

2022 ANNUAL REPORT 25

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