A Career in Clinical Research

David C. Musch, Ph.D., M.P.H., Professor of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences in the U-M Medical School and Professor of Epidemiology in the School of Public Health, has been named a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in recognition of his many contributions to clinical epidemiology, design principles and analytical techniques to provide evidence-based guidance for the prevention and treatment of ophthalmic disease. Musch’s work has led to improvements in research design, evident in his work leading a multi-center trial for glaucoma. “It led to years of NIH funding based on the knowledge we gained from that trial and the efficacy of treatments. We were also one of the first trials to include patient-reported outcomes,” he said. “It is now much more routine to ask patients how they are doing. It’s so important to obtain the patient’s perspective.” Dr. Musch also serves as Chair of the Data and Safety Monitoring Committees of many key clinical trials in vision research.