Brazil

Prof. Renato Ambrósio Jr

Renato Ambrósio Jr, MD, PhD is Adjunct Professor of Ophthalmology at the Federal University of the State of Rio de Janeiro (UNIRIO), also in private practice. He is also affiliated to the post-graduation program for the Federal University of São Paulo (stricto sensu) and (lato sensu) to the Pontifical Catholic University in Rio de Janeiro and Brazilian Society of Ophthalmology. Prof. Ambrósio founded the Rio de Janeiro Corneal Tomography and Biomechanics Study Group in 2008 and co-founded the BrAIn (Brazilian Study Group of Artificial Intelligence and Corneal Analysis) in 2010. Major interests are customized laser vision correction, imaging for early detection of corneal ectasia using artificial intelligence, and alternative treatments for ectatic corneal diseases prior to keratoplasty.

Professor Ambrósio is the current president of the ISRS (International Society of Refractive Surgery – 2020-22).

USA

Prof. Guillermo Amescua

Dr. Guillermo Amescua is an ophthalmologist in Miami, FL and is affiliated with multiple hospitals in the area, including Bascom Palmer Eye Institute-Anne Bates Leach Eye Hospital and University of Miami Hospital and Clinics. He received his medical degree from Monterrey Institute of Technology, completed his residency training at the University of Pittsburgh, followed by cornea and uveitis training at the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute. He specializes in anterior segment related, cataract related, cornea & external disease, and uveitis and is experienced in artificial corneal surgery

Lebanon

Prof. Shady Awwad

Shady Awwad obtained his medical degree with the Alpha Omega Alpha award, completed an internship in general surgery, and a residency in ophthalmology (1999-2002) all at the American University of Beirut Medical Center (AUBMC). He then pursued a double fellowship in corneal diseases and surgery and refractive surgery (LASIK, PRK, Corrective lens implantation) (2002-2006) and a fellowship in ophthalmic pathology (2005-2006), all at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas. He is currently an associate professor, director of the laser refractive surgery center, and the head of the cornea and refractive surgery division at AUBMC. He is recipient of the American Academy of Ophthalmology achievement award.

USA

Prof. Michael Belin

Dr. Belin attended Northwestern University (Evanston, Il) where he majored in Bio-Medical Engineering and received his medical degree from Rutgers Medical School.  He completed his internship and residency at the Albany Medical College and fellowship in Cornea and External Diseases at the University of Iowa.  He subsequently completed (by invitation) a traveling fellowship from the Royal College of Surgeon of England Foundation.  Dr. Belin is Professor of Ophthalmology & Vision Science at the University of Arizona Department of Ophthalmology and Southern Arizona Veterans Administration Health Care System (Tucson, Arizona).  He is also an Adjunct Professor at the Albany Medical College (Albany, New York) and the University of Ottawa (Ottawa, Canada).  Dr. Belin holds an honorary Professorship at the Military Hospital #1, Shenyang, China.

Dr. Belin is a Past-President of the Cornea Society (2006-8) and Vice-President for International Development (2008-15).  He is a Fellow of the Royal Australian & New Zealand College of Ophthalmology.  He served on the Board of Directors, the Medical Advisory Board and the Executive Committee of the Eye Bank Association of America.  Michael is Chair of the American University Professors of Ophthalmology’s Fellowship Compliance Committee (AUPO-FCC).  Dr. Belin is a past recipient of the AAO Honor Award, Senior Honor Award, Academy Service Award, the Achievement Award (x2) and the AAO Life Time Achievement Award.  He has published over 160 peer-reviewed articles and has presented over 300 papers at major national or international meetings.

Turkey

Dr. Efekan Coskunseven

Dr Efekan Coskunseven was born in 1968 in Nazilli, Turkey. He graduated from Medical School of Ege University and specialized in Ophthalmology in the Medical School of Dicle University. Dr Coskunseven is the Director of Refractive Surgery Department in Dunya Eye Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey since 2003.

Switzerland

Prof. Farhad Hafezi

Farhad Hafezi, MD PhD FARVO, is a professor of ophthalmology, anterior segment surgeon, and ocular cell biologist.

Farhad completed his medical studies at the University of Bern 1992 and then in 1993 transitioned to the University of Zurich. In 2011, Farhad conducted a fellowship in oculplastics and lids at the Rotterdam Eye Hospital and then co-founded the famous IROC AG (Zurich, Switzerland) in 2002.

From 2005-2008, Farhad completed his PhD at Erasmus University Rotterdam on the management of complications of refractive surgery while maintaining his clinical position at IROC. In 2010, Farhad became chairman of ophthalmology at the University of Geneva and director of the Geneva University Hospital Eye Clinic. In 2014, Farhad founded the ELZA Institute AG (Zurich, Switzerland), where now works clinically.

Academically, Farhad remains a professor of ophthalmology at the University of Geneva, University of Southern California and Wenzhou Medical University in China. Farhad is the group leader of the Ocular Cell Biology Laboratory at the University of Zurich.

In 2014, 2016 and 2018, he has been voted by his peers onto the biennial PowerList100, a list of the 100 most influential people in ophthalmology.

Combing patient care, research & development, and teaching, Hafezi is a pioneer and key opinion leader of corneal cross-linking (CXL).

Farhad is dedicated to humanitarian work dedicated to helping children with keratoconus by serving as an active board member of the Light for Sight Foundation. Farhad also serves on a number of industrial advisory boards, including EMAGine AG (Zug, Switzerland) that is dedicated to bringing access to CXL technology to all.

Germany

Dr. Robert Herber

Israel

Prof. Boris Knyazer

Knyazer Boris was born in Russia in 1972 and emigrated to Israel in 1990. He received his B.Sc. and MD degrees in 2005 at Irwin Goldman Medical School, Beer-Sheva, Israel. After graduation he finished his residency in ophthalmology at Ophthalmology Department, Soroka University Medical Center. In 2013-14 Dr. Knyazer completed his cornea, cataract and refractive fellowship at Apollo hospital, Hyderabad, India under mentorship of Dr. Rajesh Fogla. Today Dr. Knyazer works as senior ophthalmologist and cornea and cataract surgeon at Soroka University Medical Center and as refractive surgeon at ophthalmology center Sheva Einaim in Beer-Sheva. Dr.
Knyazer’s research interest include: Keratoconus, CXL, PACK-CXL and infectious keratitis, hormonal changes and cornea biomechanics. He is former lecturer at Ben-Gurion University in the Negev, Israel.

Switzerland

Dr. Sabine Kling

India

Dr. Pooja Khamar

Italy

Prof. Cosimo Mazzotta

USA

Prof. J. Bradley Randleman

J. Bradley Randleman, MD received his BA degree from Columbia University in New York City, his M.D. degree from Texas Tech University School of Medicine in Lubbock, Texas, where he was elected to the Alpha Omega Alpha medical honor society in his junior year, followed by his Ophthalmology residency and Cornea and Refractive Surgery Fellowship at Emory University. Dr. Randleman is joining the USC Roski Eye Institute from the Emory Eye Center in Atlanta Georgia, where he was the John H. and Helen S. Hughes Professor of Ophthalmology and Director of the Cornea, External Disease, & Refractive Surgery Section.

A widely respected cornea specialist, his areas of expertise include: corneal and intraocular refractive surgical procedures including LASIK and premium laser-assisted cataract and IOL surgery, complicated cataract surgery, and the management of keratoconus and other corneal ectatic disorders. His primary research focuses on identification and management of corneal ectatic diseases including keratoconus and postoperative ectasia after LASIK, and the avoidance, diagnosis, and management of refractive surgical complications.

Italy

Dr. Miguel Rechichi

Founder and CEO, Studio oculistico Dr Miguel Rechichi

USA

Prof. Cynthia Roberts

India

Prof. Rohit Shetty

Switzerland

Dr. Emilio Torres-Netto

Emilio A. Torres-Netto MD PhD is a cornea, cataract and refractive surgeon trained in Brazil, USA, France and Switzerland, who is engaged in the development of innovative approaches for keratoconus, cross-linking and refractive surgeries at the ELZA Institute and University of Zurich. His training has taken place at the following organisations: Stanford University, Stanford, California, USA; Federal University of Sao Paulo, Brazil; Medical Faculty Santa Casa Sao Paulo, Brazil; Fondation Ophtalmologique Adolphe de Rothschild, Paris, France; University Hospital Zurich, Switzerland; University of Zurich, Switzerland; University of Geneva, Switzerland; and ELZA Institute, Switzerland.

He has received 16 national and international Awards from the largest societies in ophthalmology and was named among the 50 global key opinion leaders in ophthalmology by Media Mice in 2021.

After an unanimous decision, in 2018, he was chosen as the inaugural World Winner of the International Council of Ophthalmology Award for his work in corneal biomechanics, keratoconus and cross-linking. In 2022 he had the honour of being awarded with the José Ignácio Barraquer Medal by BRASCRS, for his work and contribution to the cornea and refractive surgery field.

Dr. Torres-Netto is the author of around 40 articles in peer-review journals, 30 publications/interviews in trade-journals and 10 book chapters. He is reviewer of multiple international peer-reviewed journals in the area of cornea, cataract and refractive surgery, and serves on the Editorial Board of the Journal of Refractive Surgery Case Reports and the Oftalmologia em Focus Magazine. Additionally, has been appointed as an International Member and Ambassador of the International Society of Refractive Surgery, affiliated to the American Academy of Ophthalmology.

He has participated in more than 200 national and international congresses and has delivered over 200 presentations worldwide.  

Italy

Prof. Paolo Vinciguerra

Appointed by the Italian Consiglio Superiore di Sanità ( Board of the Ministry of Health) as an expert(2003). Paolo Vinciguerra is the coordinator of “Cornea and Refractive Surgery” Master of Italian Swiss University- Lugano (since 2012).

As a member of numerous Italian and international scientific societies, throughout his professional career Paolo Vinciguerra has been a member of many boards of directors of ophthalmologic societies .

Committee and member of Award SOI committee for the Italian Ophthalmology Society. He has been an Honorary Member of the Italian Ophthalmology Society (since 1995) and an Honorary Member of the Italian Society for Corneal Transplants (SITRAC) since 2004.

He has been a member of the International Council of the International Society of Refractive Surgery-American Academy (ISRS-AAO) since 2004.

Winner of many Italian and international awards (5 Italian Awards and 7 International awards), He received Special Recognition for his outstanding scientific contribution to Refractive Surgery from the International Society of Refractive Surgery-USA in 1988 and the Achievement Award Certificate in 2003 from the American Academy of Ophthalmology. In 2005, he received the “Lans Lecture” award from the American Academy of Ophthalmology -ISRS for his scientific contribution to ophthalmology since the beginning of his career and Waring Medal from Slack Incorporated (2011).

As a pioneer of refractive surgery working with scientific institutes and ophthalmology companies engaged in development and research into technological innovations (as Nidek International Co,LTD since 2002,Oculus since 2010, Schwind Germany since 2010), he has filed numerous patents in both Europe and the rest of the world .  In particular, his research and publications have led to the development of the cross cylinder procedure for correcting astigmatism, study of the ablative profile in the transitional zone for excimer laser photoablation, a new system for correcting systemic photoablation errors by topographic and aberrometer measurement of an artificial test eye, development and computerised analysis system for corneal stroma in confocal microscopy using fractal calculation (5 International Patents).  Other patent applications are currently pending.

Italy

Dr. Riccardo Vinciguerra

Dr Riccardo Vinciguerra is currently working as an ophthalmologist and Scientific responsible at the Humanitas San Pio X Hospital, Milan, as well as a research collaborator at Biomechanical Engineering Group, University of Liverpool, UK. Despite his young age, he is a very well-known international researcher with various peer-reviewed publications mainly in the field of corneal biomechanics, refractive surgery, corneal collagen cross-linking and corneal transplants.

He has completed his medical school in the Università degli Studi di Milano in 2011. He then graduated from the Brescia-Insubria University as a Specialist in Ophthalmology and completed a Glaucoma Clinical fellowship and a Cornea Clinical Fellowship at the Royal Liverpool University Hospital, Liverpool, United Kingdom. He worked then as a Cornea Consultant at the Birmingham and Midland Eye Center, Birmingham, UK. The article “Detection of Keratoconus With a New Biomechanical index” published in the Journal of Refractive Surgery earned him the prestigious Troutman Prize in 2017.

Dr. Vinciguerra is the author of 70 original scientific articles in peer-reviewed journals and received 5 prizes and awards. His work has been cited more than 1100 times with an h-index of 16.