ARVO Women’s Leadership Development Program Welcomes Class of 2021

The Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) recognized the 2021 class of its Women’s Leadership Development Program (WLDP). The program, provided through the support of Aerie Pharmaceuticals, is an interactive, year-long learning experience focused on leadership skill development and facilitating leadership opportunities and networking within ARVO. 

The following participants are in the Class of 2021:

• Carol Cheung, PhD, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, China
• Lauren Dalvin, MD, Mayo Clinic
• Samantha Dando, PhD, Queensland University of Technology, Australia
• Marie-Helene Errera, MD, PhD, UPMC Eye Center, Pittsburgh Medical School
• Aakriti Garg Shukla, MD, Wills Eye Hospital/Thomas Jefferson University
• Yao Liu, MD, University of Wisconsin-Madison
• Hua Mei, PhD, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
• Alexandra Miere, MD, Centre Hospitalier Intercommunal De Créteil, France
• Freya Mowat, PhD, DVM, University of Wisconsin-Madison
• Kristen Nwanyanwu, MD, Yale University
• Tawna Roberts, PhD, OD, Stanford University
• Jessica Shantha, MD, Emory University
• Victoria Tseng, MD, PhD, University of California Los Angeles
• Mary Whitman, MD, PhD, Boston Children’s Hospital/Harvard Medical School
• Jia Yin, MD, PhD, Harvard Medical School/ Massachusetts Eye and Ear

The WLDP launched in 2016 with the goal of preparing more women to serve in leadership roles within ARVO and within their academic institutions. Eligible participants include early- to mid-career female scientists who are in a faculty/tenure-track (or equivalent) position for not more than 10 years and who have been ARVO members for at least three years at time of application. 

“Participation in this program will provide lifetime leadership skills that extend beyond ARVO for any early career female scientist,” says 2020 WDLP graduate Krista Kelly, PhD, director of the Vision and Neurodevelopment Laboratory, Retina Foundation of the Southwest. “This program was highly engaging, with discussions on important and often tough topics, coupled with individual mentorship. I feel I’m in a better place in terms of leading my lab, seeking out leadership opportunities, and forging collaborations for research than before.” 

ARVO will be accepting applications from Sept. 1 – Oct. 31 for the next WLDP cohort, the Class of 2022. 

The Women’s Leadership Development Program is sponsored by Aerie Pharmaceuticals, with additional support from the ARVO Foundation’s Ramesh & Brenda Tripathi Vision Research Fund. For more information about the WLDP, visit ARVO’s website.