Return on investment in an austere economy: The optometry clinical research summer camp program

摘要

The unabashed primary goal of the biennial American Opto-metric Association (AOA)/American Academy of Optometry (AAO)-sponsored summer invitational research institutes, from 1988 to present, is to secure funds for clinical-optometry research to develop competitive, fundable, clinical research projects in optometry that can be supported by major grants from federal agencies (National Institutes of Health [NIH], Department of Veterans Affairs, Department of Defense) or industry. Additional important goals of this Summer Camp Program include the development of outstanding research strategies to advance evidence-based knowledge in high-impact areas of optometry and to identify the individuals who are capable of leading their colleagues in the scientific, analytical, design, and administrative aspects of conducting complex clinic-based research.