About

Dr. Ishida is a leading expert on retinal diseases and is currently a professor of ophthalmology at Hokkaido University in Japan. After completing his medical degree in 1990, he undertook his residency in ophthalmology at Keio University. He completed clinical and research fellowships in ophthalmology at Keio University School of Medicine and at Harvard Medical School (Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary), respectively. Dr. Ishida’s research interests focus on retinal cell biology as well as ocular circulation in various retinal and choroidal disorders. As of June 2022, he is an author on over 370 scientific publications (impact factor: nearly 1260) covering both clinical and basic studies. In 2009, he received the most honorable award from the Japanese Ophthalmological Society (JOS), called the JOS Council Award.

Kazuaki Kadonosono M.D. graduated from Yokohama City University School of Medicine, Japan. He completed his residency in Ophthalmology at the Yokohama City University Hospital. And then served on the faculty as the director of retina department at Yokohama City University, School of Medicine. His research interests include the development and evaluation of new surgical techniques in vitreoretinal and macular surgery. He has participated in numerous studies of novel treatments in the retinal diseases. He has been on the Board of Japanese Ophthalmological Society (JOS), the Executive director of Japanese Retina and Vitreous Society (JRVS) and belongs to American Society of Retina Specialist (ASRS), American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO), Macula Society. Currently and International member of Club Jules Gonin. He serves as Professor and Chair of Department of Ophthalmology and Micro-technology, Yokohama City University.

Dr. Keiko Kataoka is a renowned adult medical retina specialist at Kyorin University's Department of Ophthalmology. She earned her MD and PhD from Nagoya University School of Medicine, where she later served as an assistant professor. During her PhD, she conducted pivotal research on pathologic angiogenesis using a Retinopathy of Prematurity (ROP) mouse model.
Her research journey led her to a fellowship at the Massachusetts Eye & Ear Infirmary, Harvard Medical School, where she studied photoreceptor cell death and inflammation following retinal detachment. Upon returning to Nagoya University, she published several influential papers using Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) angiography, proposing new diagnostic criteria for neovascular Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD) and revealing morphological changes in macular neovascularization under anti-VEGF treatment.
Since joining Kyorin University in 2021, Dr. Kataoka has been dedicated to patient care and research on age-related macular diseases and pachychoroid diseases. Her work continues to contribute significantly to the field of ophthalmology.

Motohiro Kamei, M.D.’s career in ophthalmology began with training under Professor Reizo Manabe (Cornea specialist) at Osaka University for 2 years, followed by a vitreoretinal fellowship with Yasuo Tano, M.D. at Osaka National Hospital.
During his fellowship (in 1992), he developed a novel surgical technique with tPA and liquid perfluorocarbon for evacuating submacular hemorrhage associated with age-related macular degeneration.
In 1995, he received an academic position in the Department of Ophthalmology at Osaka University with Professor Tano.
From 1996 to 1999, he worked with Hilel Lewis, M.D. and Joe G Hollyfield, Ph.D. at Cleveland Clinic Foundation as an international fellowship. His research focused on AMD; revealed accumulation of TIMP-3 with age and more in AMD lesion, intravitreal tPA penetration through the retina with subretinal hemorrhage and a novel surgical modification of limited macular translocation with out-pouching the sclera using titanium clips. He also studied on biodegradable drug delivery system for preventing proliferative vitreoretinopathy (PVR) after establishing a pig PVR model, for which he received 1st place for1999 F. Merlin Bumpus Ph.D. Junior Investigator Award.
After returning to Japan, he transiently moved to Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine and assumed a chief of the vitreoretinal service for one and half years (2000-2002). After that, he became an associated professor followed by a professor at Osaka University Hospital in 2011.
He assumed a chairman of Ophthalmology at Aichi Medical University in 2015. He performed more than 4000 vitreoretinal surgeries. His research projects have three topics: optics of heads-up surgery, surgical and pharmacological treatments for retinal vein occlusion, and retinal prosthesis.

Member/Board
Japan Ophthalmology Society (Board, Director of Program Committee), Japanese Retina and Vitreous Society (Executive Director), Japanese Society of Ophthalmic Surgeons (Program committee, 2010- 2013), Japanese Society of Ophthalmic Diabetology (Executive Trustee), Japanese Society for Ocular Circulation (trustee), The Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (Program committee, 2008-2010), The American Academy of Ophthalmology, Vail vitrectomy meeting, Club Jules Gonin

Hideki Koizumi received his MD degree from Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine, Kyoto, Japan in 1998.
He was an international retinal fellow at the Manhattan Eye, Ear and Throat Hospital and the Vitreous Retina Macula Consultants of New York from 2006 to 2008.
He was promoted to professor and chairman at University of the Ryukyus, Okinawa, Japan in 2017.
His current interests include the diagnosis and treatment of age-related macular degeneration and noninvasive retinal imaging.

Fumi Gomi, MD, PhD has been Professor and Chair of the Department of Ophthalmology at Hyogo Medical University in Hyogo, Japan since 2016.
She received her MD from Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine in 1989, undertook her residency in the Department of Ophthalmology at Osaka University Hospital, and completed a clinical fellowship at Osaka Rosai Hospital. After she received her PhD from the Graduate School of Osaka University, she conducted many clinical and basic research projects in relation to retinal and macular diseases as Assistant and Associate Professor in the Department of Ophthalmology at Osaka University. From 2012 to 2016, she worked as an administrator in the Department of Ophthalmology at Sumitomo Hospital in Osaka.
Dr. Gomi has published more than 200 original peer-reviewed articles in areas relating to the retina, the choroid, and clinical ophthalmology, as well as imaging. She received an Achievement Award from the American Academy of Ophthalmology in 2009, and another from the Asia-Pacific Academy of Ophthalmology in 2012. She serves as a councilor of the Japanese Ophthalmological Society and as a director of the Japanese Retina Vitreous Society.

1991 Graduated from Kanazawa University School of Medicine (M.D.)
1992-1993 Resident in Nagoya University Hospital
1993-1997 Clinical and Research Fellowship at Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine (Ph.D.)
1998-1999 Lecturer, Ophthalmology, Nagoya University Hospital
1999-2001 Research Fellow, Ophthalmology, University of Michigan. (Prof. Paul A. Sieving)
2001-2006 Assistant Professor, Ophthalmology, Nagoya University School of Medicine
2006-2011 Associate Professor, Ophthalmology, Nagoya University School of Medicine
2011- Professor and Chairperson, Ophthalmology, Mie University Graduate School of Medicine

Akitaka Tsujikawa, MD, PhD graduated from the Kyoto University School of Medicine in 1993 and received his doctoral degree in ophthalmology from the Kyoto University Graduate School of Medicine in 2001. In 1999-2000, he undertook a research fellowship at the Children’s Hospital in Boston, and joined the faculty of the Department of Ophthalmology at Kyoto University Graduate School of Medicine in 2005. Dr. Tsujikawa is currently a Professor and Chairman of the Department of Ophthalmology at Kyoto University Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto, Japan. His special interest lies in the pathophysiology of retinal diseases, and he has used imaging, morphological, and molecular biological techniques to diagnose and characterize retinal diseases.

In the 1990s, Dr. Tsujikawa’s work focused on the study of the leukocyte-, platelet-endothelial interaction in pathologic retinal microcirculation, using various animal models. He has contributed to the elucidation of the role of these interactions in the mechanisms for development of diabetic retinopathy, uveitis, and ischemia-reperfusion injury. In the 2000s, his interest shifted to clinical investigations using the various modern imaging modalities available, such as OCT, AO-SLO, FA, ICGA, and FAF. With the help of these modalities, he has contributed to the pathophysiology of various macular diseases, especially wet age-related macular degeneration, polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy, and retinal vein occlusion. Based on his substantial contributions towards our understanding of macular diseases, he was selected as a member of The Macula Society in 2010. His more recent work has focused on the genome-wide association study on age-related macular degeneration and myopic complications.

Yuki Morizane, MD, PhD, is a Professor and Chair of the Department of Ophthalmology, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine. After graduating from Okayama University School of Medicine, Dr. Morizane received his PhD in Ophthalmology from Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine. Dr. Morizane subsequently completed a fellowship in retina research at Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, Harvard Medical School. After returning to Japan, Dr. Morizane completed a retina fellowship at Okayama University Hospital and is now a specialist in vitreoretinal diseases. Dr. Morizane specializes in the surgical treatment of vitreoretinal diseases such as refractory macular hole, epiretinal membrane, and proliferative diabetic retinopathy.

Professor David Steel is a consultant retinal specialist at Sunderland Eye Infirmary appointed in 1998 and Honorary Professor of Retinal Surgery at Newcastle University and Visiting Professor of Ophthalmology at the University of Liverpool. He has published over 350 peer reviewed publications with over 14,000 citations. He was named as the UK NIHR and Royal College of Ophthalmologists Researcher of the year award in 2018. He is a past President of the British and Eire Association of Vitreoretinal Surgeons, an elected executive board member of the Club Jules Gonin and sits on the Euretina VR and research boards. His has wide research interests ranging from pluripotent stem cells, complement dysregulation in AMD, image analysis and artificial intelligence, vitreoretinal biomechanics, evidence summation as well as a range of clinical directed studies into vitreoretinal diseases. He has taken part as a chief or principal investigator in over 50 clinical trials on all aspects of retinal disease and compiled over 20 systematic reviews.

Yoshihiro Yonekawa, MD, is an adult and pediatric retina surgeon at Wills Eye Hospital in Philadelphia, USA. He is an Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology at Thomas Jefferson University, and visiting faculty member at Kyorin University. He received his MD with honors from Cornell Medical College, completed his ophthalmology residency at Harvard Medical School, and underwent fellowship training in adult and pediatric vitreoretinal surgery at William Beaumont Hospital. He received awards during training including those from the Heed Ophthalmic Foundation, Ronald G. Michels Foundation, American Academy of Ophthalmology, and the Retina Society.
Dr. Yonekawa has contributed over 300 original papers, editorials, and textbook chapters to the field, with focuses on pediatric retina surgery, pediatric medical retinal diseases, rhegmatogenous retinal detachment, endophthalmitis, COVID-related practice patterns, geographic access disparities, opioid prescription patterns, and ocular trauma.
He serves as an assistant editor for RETINA, deputy editor for Journal of VitreoRetinal Diseases (JVRD), and section editor for Ophthalmic Surgery Lasers and Imaging Retina (OSLI Retina), and Review of Ophthalmology. He is on the editorial board for the Journal of Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus (JAAPOS), is editor in chief of Retina Roundup, co-editor of Vit Buckle Academy, and section editor for several textbooks.
Dr. Yonekawa currently serves on the board of the American Society of Retina Specialists (ASRS) as the Early Career Section Co-Chair, the Executive Committee for the Vit Buckle Society, where he is also the chair of the program committee, and active member of the Retina Society, Macula Society, Vail Vitrectomy, and the Association of Pediatric Retina Specialists. He has received recognitions including the ASRS Senior Honor Award, AAO Achievement Award, The Ophthalmologist Power List of Rising Stars, Philadelphia Magazine top doctor, and Castle Connolly top doctor.

1983 Graduated from Osaka University Medical School
1983 Resident in Ophthalmology, Department of Ophthalmology, Osaka University Hospital
1984 Resident in Ophthalmology, Osaka Rosai Hospital
1985 Staff in Ophthalmology, Osaka Rosai Hospital
1990 Research Associate, University of Pittsburgh
1993 Assistant Professor, Department of Ophthalmology, Osaka University Medical School
1997 Associate Professor, Department of Ophthalmology, Osaka University Medical School
2005 Professor and Chairman, Department of Ophthalmology, Shiga University of Medical Science

1982 Graduated from Keio University, School of Medicine
1982 Resident in Ophthalmology, Department of Ophthalmology, Keio University Hospital
1984 Resident in Ophthalmology, National Tokyo 2nd Hospital
1985 Clinical Fellow and chief staff physician in Ophthalmology, National Tochigi Hospital
1987 Instructor in Ophthalmology, Department of Ophthalmology, Keio University Hospital
1989 Research Fellow (ophthalmic pathology), Vitreoretinal Associate, Duke University, Eye Center
1992 Assistant Professor, Department of Ophthalmology, Kyorin University
1997 Associate Professor, Department of Ophthalmology, Kyorin University
2005 Professor, Department of Ophthalmology, Kyorin University
2008 Professor and Chairman, Department of Ophthalmology, Kyorin University