SOM Student Receives National Award to Conduct Glaucoma Research
The Medical Student Award Supports Research to Assess the Use of Low-Cost Calculator to Assess Glaucoma Risk in Vulnerable Populations
As a medical student at New York Medical College (NYMC), Kara Rickford, SOM Class of 2025, has developed an impressive record of research achievement working alongside ophthalmologists at Westchester Medical Center and the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. In 2022, Rickford was awarded the Dr. James McCune Smith Medical Student Award from the National Medical Fellowships for a research study she is conducting with an ophthalmologist at New York Eye & Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai to assess the use of a minimally invasive, low-cost calculator to predict glaucoma risk in high-risk vulnerable populations in New York.
“Many populations in under-resourced areas are faced with barriers to access to care and are often diagnosed with glaucoma at a more severe stage of the disease, leading to poor visual outcomes and an increased risk of irreversible blindness,” said Rickford. “The use of this glaucoma calculator allows health care personnel to screen in under-resourced or remote areas and to refer patients considered high-risk for glaucoma for a comprehensive evaluation with an ophthalmologist.”
While the research study is ongoing, preliminary findings demonstrating the effectiveness of the calculator have been published in the Journal of Ophthalmology and more than 250 patients in New York communities in the South Bronx, Harlem, Southeast Queens and Central Brooklyn have been screened thus far.
Throughout her time at NYMC, Rickford also worked closely on ophthalmology-related research with researchers at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center that resulted in two first-author publications on the effects of systemic drugs on the progression of age-related macular degeneration in Survey in Ophthalmology and on advanced ocular imaging in Retina Today.
Most recently, Rickford was accepted to present a scientific poster a case of congenital corneal opacities in three generations of one family at the American Academy of Ophthalmology conference, alongside Gerald Zaidman, M.D., professor of clinical ophthalmology and vice chair of the Department of Ophthalmology, who is one of just 40 pediatric corneal transplant surgeons in the U.S.
“My interest in researching age-related macular degeneration (AMD) stems from my experiences with my mom, who is legally blind and lives with degenerative myopia and AMD, which has led to her significant vision loss. Researching the conditions she is affected by gave me insight into potential treatments that can be developed in the future,” said Rickford. “Knowing that I can contribute to the growing body of knowledge and can one day make a difference in other people’s eyesight inspires me. I’m very grateful for my mentors that have welcomed me onto their projects and have taught me so much about the field of ophthalmology along the way.”