Vistakon Research Grants

2012 Recipients Announced

The American Optometric Foundation (AOF) in collaboration with VISTAKON®, a Division of Johnson & Johnson Vision Care, Inc. is pleased  to announce the receipients of the 2012 VISTAKON® Research Grants.  Recipients received $25,000 for advancing their research.

Pete Kollbaum, OD, PhD, FAAO
Indiana University School of Optometry 
The visual impact of spherical aberration in the presence of lens decentration induced aberration

Yvonne Wu, BOptom, MPH, PhD, FAAO and Suzanne Fleiszig, OD, PhD, FAAO
University of California, Berkeley, School of Optometry
The impact of ocular surface factors on virulence factor expression within Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilms on contact lenses

Background

To encourage talented persons to pursue full-time careers in optometry, the American Optometric Foundation (AOF) is now accepting proposals for two research grants sponsored by VISTAKON®, and The Vision Care Institute,LLC., both a Division of Johnson & Johnson Vision Care, Inc. The AOF, in conjunction with the American Academy of Optometry Research Committee, will award these competitive grants to fund basic or clinical research in the area of soft contact lenses.

Awards

Two one-year awards of $25,000. *All funds, as per policy of the American Academy of Optometry and the American Optometric Foundation will be issued in U.S. currency to the primary institution of record.

Eligibility

The awards are open to all persons in optometry and vision science. At least one will be given to an individual with no more than five years from their terminal degree. In 2012 the winners were chosen from a pool of 18 applicants.

Application Deadline

The 2013 deadline for applications will be announced.

Application and Review Procedures

Each proposal must be submitted electronically and contain the following components.

  • Cover page; project title, institution, name (including degree) and title for Primary and Secondary investigator.
  • Introduction; background and significance; specific aims; preliminary studies; and study design and methods. These sections should total no more than 5 pages.
  • References (maximum of 1 page)
  • Budget and budget justification (maximum of 1 page) *It is the policy of the Foundation not to cover indirect cost.
  • Biographical sketch(es) of Principal and one co-investigator only (maximum of 2 pages for each investigator) that must include:
    • Full contact information 
    • Education/training; research and professional experience; honors and awards
    • Publications (refereed) for the last three years and best representative earlier publications (max. of 3)
  • Signed letter of Assurance (one page) by Department Chair (or Signatory Official) indicating the proposal has been reviewed and meets with the standards of the institution.

APPLICATIONS THAT DO NOT FOLLOW THIS OUTLINE WILL NOT BE CONSIDERED

Proposals are reviewed by a peer review committee established by the American Academy of Optometry's Research Committee.

Application Submission

All proposals must be submitted by email to: AOF@aaoptom.org and contain in the subject title: Vistakon Research Grant + Primary Investigator Last Name.

Applicants will receive a confirmation receipt by email from the Foundation within 1 -3  business days  after submission.  Files exceeding 10 MB must be broken into separate smaller units to allow passage through internet security measures.

Costs

The AOF is a non-profit organization and our policy is not to cover any indirect costs associated with the Vistakon Research Grant  or any other of our programs. This policy applies uniformly to all award recipients. 

Award Conditions

Funds support research conducted for a period of one year. Recipients must submit a minimum 500 word report of their research findings to the AOF at the end of the award period in order to be eligible for subsequent awards.

Any manuscript or publication material produced must acknowlege the American Optometric Foundation and VISTAKON®, and The Vision Care Institute,LLC., both a Division of Johnson & Johnson Vision Care, Inc.

Recipients are encouraged to submit a manuscript to Optometry and Vision Science.

All award recipients by application and acceptance of an award agree to allow the AOF and/or the sponsor of the program to which they applied to publish their  name, image, institution information, and any statement or quote provided by the recipient. These may appear in a variety of media formats that will announce and promote the program including, but not limited to, the AOF and/or sponsor annual report, website, annual meeting promotional materials.

 For additional information, contact Tracy Kitts, Foundation Coordinator at: 321-710-3936 or AOF@aaoptom.org

VISTAKON®, AMERICAN OPTOMETRIC FOUNDATION ANNOUNCE GRANT RECIPIENTS

November 7, 2011 – VISTAKON®, Division of Johnson & Johnson Vision Care, Inc., and the American Optometric Foundation (AOF), today announced recipients of the 2011 VISTAKON® Research Grants. Designed to encourage talented persons to pursue full-time careers in optometry, the Vistakon Research Grants are given to fund basic or clinical research in the area of soft contact lenses.

The recipients of the AOF-VISTAKON® Research Grants are:

 $25,000 Grant

Association of IL-17 single nucleotide polymorphisms with the susceptibility and severity of keratitis in contact lens wearers

 Nicole Carnt, B Optom (Hons), FAAO, FBCLA

 Brien Holden Vision Institute, University of New South Wales

$10,000 Grant

A novel approach to determine the optimal multifocal soft lens for myopia control by the use of modified autorefractors

Donald Egan, OD 

College of Optometry Western University Health Sciences

These are highly competitive research awards with the awardees selected by an international panel of scientists from many qualified applicants.

VISTAKON® is proud to have partnered with the American Optometric Foundation for over a decade, providing over one million dollars of support for scholarships, fellowships, and research grants. "VISTAKON® and the AOF are truly changing the future of optometry by supporting education, leadership, research in optometry," said Cathie Amos, OD, FAAO, President, American Optometric Foundation. VISTAKON® is the only member of the Foundation’s Visionary circle.

VISTAKON® is a trademark of Johnson & Johnson Vision Care, Inc.