Harvard Ophthalmology and Mass Eye and Ear embrace inclusion and welcome people from all backgrounds. We respect and celebrate different points of view, and we strive for an environment where everyone feels safe, valued, and engaged within our community. A strong community strengthens our ability to provide world-class care to our patients, while also strengthening our education and research efforts. Over the past several years, Harvard Ophthalmology has launched many new programs with the goal of building a more inclusive community and offering more opportunities to people interested in ophthalmology. This Focus post highlights the Department of Ophthalmology’s highly successful Research Scholars Program at Mass Eye and Ear.
This blog was originally published in August 2024 and updated on March 27, 2025.
Closing the Gap in Ophthalmology
Harvard Ophthalmology and Mass Eye and Ear value the importance of developing an inclusive and diverse community of clinicians, scientists, and trainees. Each individual provides unique perspectives, which enhance the eye community and ultimately, benefit patients. However, nationwide there is a gap in opportunities for many people interested in ophthalmology. Committed to providing more opportunities for everyone, Harvard Ophthalmology has launched several programs that support medical students and college students and encourage them to consider careers in the field of ophthalmology.
One such initiative is the Harvard Ophthalmology Research Scholars Program at Mass Eye and Ear. Developed in 2021 by Joseph Arboleda, MD, PhD, and James Chodosh MD, MPH, and managed by Drs. Arboleda, Ankoor Shah, MD, PhD, and Silas Wang, MD, the program provides an opportunity for rising second- and third-year medical students to learn the key components of ophthalmology research and build a competitive application for ophthalmology residency. During the eight-week summer session, each scholar is paired with a research mentor, clinical mentor, and resident mentor who have a strong interest in supporting students’ career development and have volunteered for these roles. Beyond hands-on research training, scholars also spend a half day each week in the clinic or operating room and participate in career coaching, community building activities, and face-to-face networking with faculty. The experiences, skills, and long-lasting connections they build serve as a strong foundation for the next phase of their careers.
Exploring a Growing Passion for Ophthalmology
Cherrell Price, a 2021 alumna of the program and current medical student at Morehouse School of Medicine, was thrilled to explore her growing passion for ophthalmology. She parked an interest in the field during her first year of medical school when she shadowed an ophthalmologist in a disadvantaged community. During the Research Scholars Program, Price worked under the mentorship of researcher Kinga M. Bujakowska, PhD, and clinician-scientist Rachel Huckfeldt, MD, PhD, who are both experts in inherited retinal degenerations (IRDs). Price learned about new gene therapies on the horizon for patients with IRDs while gaining exposure to laboratory techniques, experimental design, and data analysis.
Reflecting on her experience, Price said the program was “a perfect combination of camaraderie and independence,” and she appreciated the freedom to personalize her experience with support from her mentors.
Continued Support and Ophthalmology Career Opportunities
Importantly, the relationships built during the program continue even after the scholars graduate. They continue to receive guidance if/when they apply for research grants and ophthalmology residency programs. For example, after her summer at Mass Eye and Ear, Price was awarded a Research to Prevent Blindness (RPB) Medical Student Eye Research Fellowship to continue her research at the Harvard Ophthalmology Ocular Genomics Institute (OGI) at Mass Eye and Ear. This competitive fellowship allows medical students to spend one year on leave at an RPB-supported ophthalmology department to focus on a research project. Working with her mentor Dr. Bujakowska, she investigated exon skipping, a potential genetic treatment strategy for patients with retinal degeneration with the EYS mutation (which can cause the blinding disease, retinitis pigmentosa). Being part of the Research Scholars Program allowed Price to continue her research, and these experiences will be a launchpad for future endeavors as she pursues a career in academic ophthalmology.
Price found the experience to be “transformative,” and she is grateful for the feeling of belonging it instilled in her. As she simply puts it, “There is a place for me in ophthalmology.”
In February 2025, Price matched into the ophthalmology residency training program at Wayne State University and will begin her training in July 2025.
Brionna Bennett, a 2023 alumna of the Research Scholars Program and a medical student at the University of South Carolina School of Medicine Greenville, also applied for and received an RPB Medical Student Eye Research Fellowship for the 2024-2025 cycle. Working under the mentorship of researcher Paulo Bispo, PhD, Bennett will complete a one-year fellowship at Mass Eye and Ear focused on improving the diagnosis of infectious endophthalmitis using next generation sequencing and rapid nanostring-based pathogen detection.
A Growing Program and Advancement for Our Scholars
The program’s reputation among medical students around the country is growing. In 2024, there was a 50 percent increase in applications compared to 2023, and the annual class size has grown by over 30 percent.
Research Scholar alumni have also moved on to exciting new chapters in their careers:
- Four scholars applied and matched to ophthalmology residency programs at Tulane University, Indiana University, Wayne State University, and Oregon Health & Science University.
- Three scholars completed one-year research fellowships, two at Mass Eye and Ear/Harvard Ophthalmology and one at Bascom Palmer Eye Institute/University of Miami.
- One scholar is working towards a master’s degree in bioethics.
- One scholar is completing a research fellowship and plans to apply to an internal medicine residency program.
As trainees navigate their winding career paths, equitable access to resources and positive experiences with mentors of shared backgrounds are invaluable. That is why it is so important that opportunities are available to everyone to open the pipeline to ophthalmology and medicine, more broadly. The Research Scholars Program remains a major focus of Harvard Ophthalmology’s outreach initiatives, which have made a positive impact on trainees and faculty, alike.
Harvard Ophthalmology has more information on the Research Scholars Program and how to apply.
