It is with great pride that we announce that the RRSV will welcome its third cohort of students/interns in 2026. Building on the success of 2022 and 2024, the Organizing Committee team is preparing a scientific program that will be as exciting and interesting as the first two editions. Don’t miss this unique opportunity in Quebec to discuss, over several days, in an enchanting setting with local and international vision researchers, and build relationships between students passionate about vision!
Promotional Clip on the VSRN Summer School
Eligibility: Graduate students (Master’s and PhD), postdoctoral fellows, medical students, and residents and open to all vision students (Quebec, Canada and international). Undergraduate students may be eligible if they have relevant research experience.
| Registration opening | January / February 2026 |
| Deadline | EXTENDED – March 31 2026 |
| 2026 cohort confirmation | APRIL 2026 (places are limited) |
| Registration fees | 300 $ per selected candidate |
How to register
Step 1 : registration
Step 2: submission
Registration fees include:
- Access to the conference, travel (round trip from Montreal to St-Paulin by bus), accommodation (3 nights), breakfasts (3) – lunches (3) – dinners (3) – Coffee breaks, outdoor activities
If you have trouble registering online or have questions, you can use the Word version of the electronic registration form
Details for payment
No fees will be charged at the time of registration. Selected participants will receive an invoice inviting them to pay their registration fee. You will be asked to complete your registration form in the « PAYMENT » section. Payment can be made by credit card (easy and secure). The invoice and other details will be included in your acceptance email, sent in April. For any questions regarding your registration or additional information, please contact the Logistic Committee (reseau.vision@ircm.qc.ca).
Mission
The Vision Restoration Summer School focuses on new concepts and cutting-edge research in vision science, the impacts of visual impairments, recovery of function, and restoration. World class faculty will provide insights into a broad range of current topics including retinal circuits and function, retinal degeneration and regeneration, vascular dysfunction, brain and perception, visual impairment and rehabilitation.
Our mission comprises three (3) main objectives:
- To train the next generation of vision scientists by exposing them to inspiring topics in an immersive environment;
- To provide extensive opportunities for student-faculty interactions and networking;
- To enhance the ability of students to pursue a successful career in vision science.
Join us for this unique opportunity to learn and share knowledge with experts and colleagues.
Scientific Program
The Summer School will take place over 2 1/2 days (3 nights), from July 13 to 16 inclusive. Ten (10) guest speakers (international and local) will present a 50-minute lecture. Presentations will be given exclusively in English. Three main themes will be addressed: “Eye and retina, vision loss and restoration” (July 14), “Vision in the real world” and “From lab to patients” (July 15). Two workshops will also be presented to participants: “Grant writing workshop” and “Learn how the brain builds visual feature detectors with RetINaBox”. Selected students will be asked to present a poster of their research work, and some will be selected to give an oral presentation. There will be 4 Student Presentation Sessions. From all posters, twelve (12) presenters will be selected by the Scientific Committee to give an oral presentation. Selected participants will receive confirmation in May.
POSTER presentation is mandatory for all participant (even for participants who have been selected for an oral presentation – Flash talks). ORAL presentations are 5 minutes maximum and will be followed by a 5-minute question period. The presentation schedule will be shared with the final program.
Poster dimensions are (maximum): WIDTH: 41 inches (104 cm) and HEIGHT: 38 inches (96 cm)
Poster Event – To come
Preliminary Scientific Program (to download)
Selection Process
This advanced school is open to all graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, residents, and clinical fellows. Students from Canada and abroad are invited to apply. A limited number of spaces are available. Selection, conducted by the organizing committee, will be based on the quality of the abstract and motivation statement (deadline: March 15 2026). Candidates will be informed of the results by April, 2026.
Ground Transportation
We are happy to welcome you at Le Baluchon- Eco-villegiature, an ecologically minded resort, in the heart of the Mauricie region overlooking the Rivière-du-Loup. Renowned for its enchanting decor, historic character, farm-to-table gastronomy, and outstanding service, Le Baluchon – Éco-villégiature is a choice location for our summer school. Its unique location offers a variety of outdoor activities in a beautiful natural setting (hiking, swimming, kayaking, horseback riding, archery, etc.). Every student will share a room with another student. The Organizing + Logistic Committee will establish the pairing.
FREE SHUTTLE SERVICE (ROUND TRIP) FROM MONTREAL
All participants are asked to arrive to Montreal in the morning or early afternoon on July 13th, 2025. A bus has been arranged to take participants to Le Baluchon, scheduled to leave the Berri/UQAM metro station at 4 pm. The bus is scheduled to arrive at Le Baluchon around 6 pm in time for check-in and a welcome reception followed by dinner. The school will conclude on July 16th right after lunch, and a bus is scheduled to take participants back to Montreal.
QUEBEC CITY AND TROIS-RIVIÈRES STUDENTS ONLY
For Quebec-based students for whom getting to Montreal is more cumbersome, a free cab (departing from Trois-Rivières) will be available for participants in the 2026 cohort. Furthermore, upon presentation of an invoice, a refund agreement may be granted to participants to reimburse reasonable transportation costs from their hometown to Trois-Rivieres ou St-Paulin. We encourage carpooling. It will be essential to contact the Logistic Committee to discuss the details if this option is being considered for your transportation.
Organizing Committee
Adriana Di Polo, Ph.D., Tenured professor, Centre de recherche du CHUM
Department of neurosciences, Université de Montréal, Montreal QC Canada
Stuart Trenholm, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Montreal Neurological Institute (MNI)
Department of neurology and neurosurgery, McGill University, Montreal QC Canada
Logistic Committee
Valérie Lavastre, Ph.D., VSRN Coordinator
Deborah Villafranca-Baughman, Ph.D., VSRN Assistant Coordinator
Email: reseau.vision@ircm.qc.ca
Monday July 8 to Thursday July 11 2024
Le Baluchon Éco-Villégiature, St-Paulin, Quebec
Participants Profile
Figure 1. Participant Status and Origin (for a total of 31 students)
Nearly 40% of the participants came from outside the province of Quebec.
A short survey conducted among the participants allowed us to learn the hometowns of some of them: Sherbrooke (Quebec), Trois-Rivières (Quebec), Vancouver (Canada), Calgary (Canada), Togo (Africa), Taraz (Kazakhstan), London (UK), Mexico City (Mexico), San Jose (Costa Rica), Talesh (Iran), and New Jersey (United States).
Scientific Program
The Summer School took place over two and a half days (three nights), from July 8 to 11 inclusive. In total, 10 invited speakers (both international and local) delivered 50-minute presentations. All participants presented a poster, and among these, 12 were selected by the organizing committee for oral presentation. Two patient-partners from Fighting Blindness Canada shared an insightful testimonial about their current reality as individuals living with visual impairment. Dr. Trenholm led a creative workshop entitled “Retina-in-a-box.” Working in small groups, the summer school participants had to complete circuits to make a rabbit move forward—a challenge that proved quite tricky for many teams! All presentations were given in English.
Organizing Committee
From Monday 25 to Thursday 28 July 2022
The Baluchon Eco-Resort , St-Paulin, Quebec
Origins outside Quebec
Fighting Blindness Canada (Ontario, CA), University of Toronto (Ontario, CA), University of Victoria (British Columbia, CA), University of Waterloo (Ontario, CA), University of Ottawa (Ontario, CA), Dalhousie University (Nova Scotia, CA), Harvard University (Boston, MA, USA), University of Rochester (NY, USA), University of Washington (WA, USA), University of California Los Angeles (CA, USA), Oregon Health & Science University (Portland, OR, USA) and University of Basel (Switzerland)
Assignment
The Vision Restoration Summer School will cover new concepts and the latest research advances in the biology, functions and restoration of vision. International speakers will inform you on a variety of topics including corneal regeneration, pain and dry eyes, retinal circuits and their functions, stem cells and photoreceptor replacement strategy, ganglion cell regeneration, vascular dysregulation, the brain and visual perception and finally, retinal rehabilitation and prosthetics.
Our mission includes three (3) main objectives
- Informing the next generation of vision scientists by exposing them to inspiring, timely topics within an immersive environment
- Promote interactions between students and researchers by creating opportunities for exclusive meetings while encouraging networking between them
- Encouraging access for students to pursue a rewarding career in the field of vision health
Join us for a unique experience of enrichment and knowledge sharing with experts in the field.
Scientific programming
The summer school lasted 2 and a half days (3 nights), from July 25 to 28, inclusive. In total, 10 invited speakers (international and local) presented their conference for a duration of 1 hour each. All presentations were in English. All participants presented a poster and among these, 12 were selected by the organizing committee to be presented orally.
Organizing Committee
Retina axis and posterior segment
Adriana Di Polo, Ph.D.
Professor, CHUM Research Center
Department of Neuroscience
University of Montreal, Montreal, Canada
Brain and perception axis
Stuart Trenholm, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Montreal Neurological Institute
Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery
McGill University, Montreal, Canada
Corneal axis and anterior segment
May Griffith, Ph.D.
Professor, Research Center
from Maisonneuve-Rosemont Hospital
Department of Ophthalmology
University of Montreal, Montreal, Canada
Visual impairment and rehabilitation axis
Walter Wittich, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, School of Optometry
Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery
University of Montreal, Montreal, Canada
Logistics Committee
Valerie Lavastre, Ph.D.
RRSV Coordinator
reseau.vision@ircm.qc.ca
514-987-5636
Deborah Villafranca-Baughman, MS.v.
deborah.villafranca.baughman@umontreal.ca
514-890-8000 #30240
For any questions regarding your registration or for any request for information about the Summer School, please contact the Logistics Committee.
