The M. Gilbert Grand ASRS Vitreoretinal Fellowship Award

                         M. Gilbert Grand, MD

The Foundation of the American Society of Retina Specialists is pleased to offer the M. Gilbert Grand ASRS Vitreoretinal Fellowship Award, made possible by the generosity of ASRS member retina specialist M. Gilbert Grand, MD, and his family, as well as Dr. Grand’s prior retina fellows, his colleagues, and his patients.

The perpetual award has been established  to expand access to retina specialist fellowship training opportunities by helping to offset some of the financial burden incurred by 2nd-year trainees during fellowship. The hope is that recipients will be inspired to give back in a similar fashion later in their careers.

One or more $2,500 awards will be given per calendar year to US-based, second-year retina fellows who are ASRS members and who qualify for the award. 

Interested in lending your support to the M. Gilbert Grand ASRS Vitreoretinal Fellowship Award?

If so, donate now by clicking here and selecting the M. Gilbert Grand Award from the Donation Category dropdown menu.  


Selection Criteria

  • Open to current FIT members who are in a 2-year surgical vitreoretinal fellowship within the United States
  • Fellows currently in their 1st year of a 2-year surgical retina fellowship program are eligible to apply. Awards are granted for recipients use in year 2 of training.
  • Regular participation in ASRS Fellow’s Activity Log is required

Additional academic requirements

  • Must have either published or presented a minimum of one article relating to the field of vitreoretinal disease
  • A personal statement (500 word maximum) 
  • Letters of recommendation
  1. Minimum of two by ASRS members
  2. 1 recommendation from Fellowship Director

The application window for the 2025 award opens on December 2, 2024. The deadline for 2025 applications is 11:59 pm (CT) on January 31, 2025. The winner will be notified on April 1. 

Click to Apply for the M. Gilbert Grand Award now!


Learn More About Dr. Grand

Dr. Grand completed his undergraduate degree at Tufts University where he was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. He received his medical degree from Yale and was elected to the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Society (AOA). He went on to  serve as a medical intern and junior resident in medicine at Stanford University Hospital. Subsequently, he served as a commissioned officer in the  U. S. Public Health Service where he was an epidemic intelligence officer at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. He completed his ophthalmology residency and vitreoretinal fellowship at Washington University School of Medicine.

Dr. Grand's distinguished career began at the University of Pittsburgh after which he joined The Retina Institute of St Louis. In his clinical practice, Dr. Grand specialized in the diagnosis and treatment of diseases affecting the retina, macula, and vitreous. As a member of the clinical staff at Washington University, he achieved the rank of professor of clinical ophthalmology and visual science. For 45 years, he helped cultivate generations of retina specialists serving as a mentor to 85 retina fellows. Now in retirement from clinical practice, he is a member of the voluntary faculty at the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute in Miami, Florida.

In addition to his dedication to patient care and the training of retina specialists, Dr. Grand contributed to research in the field by serving as a co-investigator in numerous clinical trials. He has authored and co-authored over 100 manuscripts in the peer-reviewed literature, in addition to presenting numerous posters and co-authoring multiple book chapters.  He has lectured throughout the United States and internationally, giving more than 200 presentations. He also serves as a reviewer for numerous ophthalmologic and retina journals.

An esteemed member of ASRS, Dr. Grand received an ASRS Senior Honor Award in 2012. In 2018 he was inducted into the Retina Hall of Fame. Dr. Grand has served in leadership roles for many local and national societies and organizations.  He was the chairman of the Retina Section for the Academy of Ophthalmology Basic and Clinical Science Course and subsequently chairman for the BCSC. Dr. Grand was co-director for Retina Subspecialty Day at the American Academy of Ophthalmology. He received the American Academy of Ophthalmology Lifetime Achievement Honor Award in 2009, as well as the Secretariat Award. He is a charter member and past president of the Macula Society.