Columbia Ophthalmology Receives Two Prestigious Grants from Research to Prevent Blindness

The Department of Ophthalmology at Columbia University recently received two prestigious grants from the Research to Prevent Blindness (RPB). The first is an unrestricted grant to support the development and expansion of our renowned vision research program. This funding has been awarded based on a thorough review of criteria, including the department’s research activities, laboratory environment, and clinical and scientific staff, as evaluated by RPB’s renowned Scientific Advisory Panel.

RPB also awarded Tingting Yang, PhD, Associate Professor of Ophthalmic Science (in Ophthalmology), as the recipient of the RPB Career Advancement Award to support eye research. Dr. Yang's work focuses on the study of the structure, function and regulation of ion channels in the eye, and the pathological mechanisms and treatment of their associated diseases. The RPB Career Advancement Award was established in 2020 for early- to mid-career vision researchers who have already received their first independent federal grant – the National Institutes of Health (NIH) R01 – and are collecting new data to apply for a second R01. This time period has been identified as a critical gap in the funding pipeline for vision researchers. A total of eight Career Advancement Awards have been granted to vision research scientists at universities across the country.

Since it was founded in 1960, RPB has channeled more than $403 million into eye research. As a result, RPB has been identified with nearly every major breakthrough in vision research in that time. For information on RPB’s grants program, listings of RPB institutional and individual grantees, and findings generated by these awards, go to www.rpbusa.org.