Project Summary
The Rabb-Venable Excellence in Ophthalmology Research Program (RV) was started by
Lenworth Johnson, MD (past NEI council member) at the 2000 annual meeting of the National
Medical Association (NMA), Ophthalmology Section. (The National Medical Association,
founded in 1895 when segregation barred Blacks from membership in the American Medical
Association, is the collective voice of African American physicians and has a very active
Ophthalmology Section.) The program is named for Maurice F. Rabb, Jr. MD and Howard P.
Venable, MD in honor of their prolific support of underrepresented minorities (URM) pursuing
careers in academic ophthalmology. RV has been funded by the National Eye Institute (NEI)
since 2008. The goal of RV is to increase the number of under-represented minority physicians
in ophthalmology and academic medicine. The program is a pipeline process to expose medical
students and resident/fellows to role models, skills needed in medical practice and teaching,
research opportunities and to provide mentoring. The program started out as a forum where
residents and medical students submitted research abstracts and had the opportunity to
present their paper or poster at the NMA annual meeting. Over the years, it has expanded to
include a session with a communications specialist who coaches them on their presentations
and interview skills, development of a peer-to-peer mentorship program, and a series of
meetings (the Fireside Chat series) where residency program directors interact with our
students right before interview season. Students and residents may remain in the program
throughout their training and form a network that has career-long benefits. Since 2008, of the
Rabb-Venable medical students who have applied for ophthalmology residency, over 80% have
matched. Program participants have become academicians in top tier ophthalmology
departments, successful private practitioners and entrepreneurs. In the American Academy of
Ophthalmology membership, of the 64 African American ophthalmologists who list academia as
their primary practice, 36 are Rabb-Venable alumni.
