DoD Vision Mentored Clinical Research Award

The FY23 VRP MCRA is intended to support patient-oriented vision injury research and develop research expertise of highly motivated military/civilian physicians-in-training. Research supported by the MCRA can be a standalone study of high impact to vision injury care or the generation of clinical research data in preparation for a more expansive study.

Each MCRA must be led by an established clinician or Ph.D. clinical scientist who will serve as Principal Investigator (PI) of the award. Key personnel must include a physician-in-training (e.g., fellows, residents, junior clinician) with at least 18 months remaining in their training program. The physician-in-training will conduct the proposed research under the mentorship of the PI, with support from supporting personnel as appropriate. While additional junior scientists or clinicians may participate in the research, only one physician-in-training may be designated as mentee. A Letter of Organizational Support and Mentee Eligibility, signed by the Department Chair or appropriate organization official, and a Letter of Commitment, signed by the mentee, should be submitted as part of Attachment 2: Supporting Documentation.

For the purposes of this award mechanism, clinical research is defined as research conducted with human subjects or research on material of human origin, such as tissues or specimens or data obtained from human subjects. Documentation of Institutional Review Board (IRB)/ Ethics Committee (EC) approval or exemption by December 1, 2023, is required for an MCRA application to be considered for funding. See Attachment 2: Supporting Documentation for additional detail.