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Eligibility, criteria and general guidelines

Eligible applicants must meet the following criteria:

  • Applicant must be/have been a member in good standing of either VSS or ARVO in at least 3 of the previous 5 years.
  • The fellowship mentor must be/have been a member in good standing of either VSS or ARVO in at least 3 of the previous 5 years.
  • Note: If the applicant is from ARVO, the fellowship mentor must be from VSS, or vice versa.
  • Applicant must be enrolled full-time as undergraduate, graduate, optometry student or medical student at an institution of higher learning in a scientific field related to vision or ophthalmology/optometry who has not earned a doctorate level degree; or
  • Applicant must be in full-time training at an institution of higher learning in a scientific field related to vision or ophthalmology/optometry who has attained a doctorate level degree.

General guidelines

  • All applications with documentation must be submitted electronically using ARVO's online form.
  • Research must take place between April 2018 to March 2019
  • Upon completion of the fellowship program, the student must submit a minimum 1-page description of the work accomplished describing how the experience or results will continue his/her research in the future to awards@arvo.org. It is expected that the fellowship length will be between 2 and 6 months.

Application Process

Submission of application form must be completed online and include the following:

  1. CV of applicant
  2. 1-page statement regarding applicant's previous work and how his/her career would benefit from the fellowship program - must be signed by the applicant
  3. 2-page proposal stating the scientific aims and training plan and goals - must be signed by the applicant and mentor at the institution where the training will occur
  4. Letter of support from the applicant's current mentor or current supervisor stating the unique benefits the applicant will receive from the proposed research and training plan
  5. Letter of support from the proposed fellowship mentor stating the unique benefits the applicant will receive from the proposed research and training plan at the institution where the training will occur
  6. Budget and justification for how the requested funds will be spent. Must be signed by proposed fellowship mentor.

Review Process

Applications will be reviewed by two representatives from each organization appointed by each organization's Board and judged by:

  • The qualifications of the applicant
  • The quality of the proposed research and training plan
  • The qualifications and commitment of the current mentor or supervisor to support the training of the mentee
  • The qualifications and commitment of the fellowship mentor to the support the training of the mentee
  • The budget proposal and additional support offered by both the current mentor or supervisor and the mentor for the proposed research and training plan