Faculty in NYU Langone’s Division of Neuro-Ophthalmology are dedicated mentors, and offer research training opportunities to medical students, residents, graduate students, postdoctoral researchers, and clinical fellows.

Resident and Medical Student Research

Residents and medical students interested in research opportunities should contact the investigators below.

Research Opportunities with Dr. Laura J. Balcer

The research program led by Laura J. Balcer, MD, centers on the development of effective clinical visual function tests for clinical trials in multiple sclerosis (MS) and their relation to structural markers of axonal and neuronal loss in the anterior visual pathway using optical coherence tomography (OCT). Our team is also developing visual methods for the diagnosis and follow-up of sports-related concussion, Alzheimer's disease and related conditions, and Parkinson's disease. Measures have included rapid number and picture naming and low-contrast letter acuity, as well as OCT. A new computerized app, designed at NYU and freely accessible to clinicians and to sports parents alike, is being tested locally and nationally. Research trainees will be to analyze existing data for projects and participate in real-time clinical research.

Research Opportunities with Dr. Scott N. Grossman

The research of Scott N. Grossman, MD, focuses on data analysis of eye movement recordings for patients across the spectrum of neuro-ophthalmic disease, analysis of RAN task data, and case reports in neuro-ophthalmology.

Research Opportunities with Dr. Rachel Kenney

Research led by Rachel Kenney, PhD focuses on using retinal imaging to detect neurodegeneration in MS and other neurological diseases, including Alzheimer’s disease. As machine learning models are increasingly studied as a tool in healthcare diagnostics, we are working on developing models using retinal OCT imaging to distinguish demyelinating diseases from each other and from ocular diseases. Future projects aim to incorporate multimodal AI models using electronic health records, MRI, and OCT imaging in order to better understand biomarkers for MS diagnosis.

Graduate Student Research

Graduate students who are interested in conducting neuro-ophthalmology research are required to select a thesis advisor and do lab rotations. Please consult your school’s program policies and requirements for more information about choosing a lab.

Postdoctoral Research

In partnership with the Center for Cognitive Neurology at NYU Langone, National Institutes of Health (NIH) T32–funded postdoctoral positions may focus on neuro-ophthalmologic aspects of neurodegenerative research. The goal of this program is to train scientists and clinician–scientists to be future leaders in the field of neurodegenerative research and the aging brain.

Fellowships

We offer a Neuro-Ophthalmology Fellowship to train physicians and research scientists in the care of neuro-ophthalmologic disorders as well as in current research on clinical vision disorders. This may be extended to include research training with appropriate funding as above.