PCO Grad First to Enroll in Cardiff Ph.D. Program
Melissa Trego, O.D., ’04, will be the first U.S. student to enroll in a new PCO joint Ph.D. program in Visual Sciences with Cardiff University in Wales this fall.
Felix Barker, O.D., Associate Dean for Research and Academic Development at PCO and member of the Joint Ph.D. Supervisory Committee explained that the PCO/Cardiff Joint Ph.D. program was developed to provide a program of excellence in research training that leads to a Ph.D. degree from PCO and Cardiff. This program recognizes the international character of research and the fact that now scientists often work at a distance, being located in the best place for a research project, rather than just within one department.
Dr. Trego will be joining several candidates from PCO’s International Master of Science in Clinical Optometry program. She will be pursuing a doctorate in Cellular and Molecular Biology of the Visual System and will study the role of crystalline proteins within the retina as protective “chaperone molecules” against the effects of oxidative insult and aging.
“It is a phenomenal program,” said Dr. Trego. “I had been interested in pursuing a Ph.D., and in the Cardiff program I will be able to combine both research and clinical study.”
Dr. Trego is no stranger to working in unique locations, completing two of her clinical externship rotations in Alaska and South Dakota during her fourth year at PCO. In April, she performed eye screenings in several remote villages in Nepal with the Pennsylvania United Medical Association (PUMA).
“Melissa has an immense curiosity about the eye and vision and a passion to become a researcher,” said Dr. Barker. “I am very pleased about her interest in this challenging program. I think she will be a great contributor to the profession.”