Dr. Brown is Clinical Professor of Ophthalmology, Cullen Eye Institute, Baylor College of Medicine, Vice-Chair for Research at the Blanton Eye Institute, Houston Methodist Hospital, and Director of Research at Retina Consultants of Texas. He also chairs the Medical Leadership Board of Retina Consultants of America and serves on the RCA board of directors. Dr. Brown graduated from Baylor College of Medicine with highest honors and completed ophthalmology and retina training at the University of Iowa where he was a Thomas Heed Fellow, a Hermann Knapp Fellow, and was awarded the Ron Michels Fellowship award presented to the top retinal surgery fellow in the United States in 1994. Dr. Brown is an elected member of the Macula Society, the Retina Society, and the Club Jules Gonin, and his honors include the American Academy of Ophthalmology Honor Award (2000), the American Society of Retina Specialists Honor Award (2008), the ASRS Senior Honor Award (2010), the AAO Senior Honor Award (2014), Retina Hall of Fame inaugural inductee (2017), and continuous election as one of the “Best Doctors in America” 2007-2024 and "Texas Super Docs" from 2009-2024. His research and clinical interests are focused on macular surgery, age-related macular degeneration, gene therapy, retinal vascular disease, and diabetic retinopathy. He has published and written over 400 national meeting presentations, abstracts, and scientific papers including many of the primary papers establishing the use of anti-VEGF agents for AMD, retinal vein occlusion, and diabetic retinopathy. Dr. Brown also serves as the consultant retina specialist for NASA for all ongoing and long-term space flight astronauts.
After having obtained her medical degree, Dr. Lois completed her Residency in Ophthalmology and PhD degree in Spain. She then completed fellowships in Ocular Oncology at Wills Eye Hospital, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Medical Retina at Moorfields Eye Hospital, London, and Vitreoretinal Surgery at The Royal Liverpool University Hospital, Liverpool. Dr. Lois then moved to Aberdeen, Scotland, where she worked as full-time Consultant Ophthalmic Surgeon for 13 years and then was appointed Professor of Ophthalmology at Queens University, Belfast, in 2013 where she has been leading a programme of preclinical and clinical research focused on diabetic retinopathy and its complications. Dr. Lois’s other area of clinical/surgical and research interest is vitreoretinal surgery. She has published over 165 articles in peer review journals, 13 book chapters, and is editor of 3 textbooks. Dr. Lois has given numerous lectures as a guest speaker at national and international meetings. She is an editorial board member for several journals, including the Cochrane Eyes and Vision Group. Dr. Lois participated, as a member of the Evidence Review Group, in 10 Single Technology Appraisals for the UK National Institute of Health and Care Excellence (NICE) on new therapies for retinal diseases. She was awarded the King James IV Professorship by the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh in 2024. She delivered the Meyer-Schwickerath Lecture at the 36th International Congress of German Ophthalmic Surgeons (DOC) in Nuremberg. Dr. Lois has been Chief Investigator of several publicly funded multi-centre trials, including FILMS, on surgical techniques for macular hole, DIAMONDS, on laser surgery for diabetic macular oedema, and EMERALD, on multimodal imaging and new pathways of care for people with complications of diabetic retinopathy.
Dr. Sarraf is a world leader in the field of advanced retinal imaging and has delivered close to 500 invited lectures at various meetings worldwide, including more than a dozen endowed and keynote lectures. He was awarded the LuEsther T. Mertz Lectureship Award by the Macula Foundation in 2018, the Canadian Journal of Ophthalmology Keynote Lecture by the Canadian Ophthalmological Society in 2020 and the 2023 Richard Greene Award and Lecture by the Macula Society in 2023. He has published over 400 peer-reviewed research papers, case reports, and reviews, has authored more than 25 book chapters, co-authored the 2nd edition of the Retina Atlas, and is Section Editor for the 7th edition of Ryan’s Retina. Dr. Sarraf is Associate Editor for the British Journal of Ophthalmology and the journals Retina and Ophthalmology Science and he is Section Editor of the Ocular Imaging Section for the Canadian Journal of Ophthalmology. Dr. Sarraf’s focus of research interest is in the field of advanced retinal imaging. He has been a pioneer in the clinical application of OCT angiography and is a world expert on OCT and OCTA imaging of the macula and has applied these technologies to better understand the structure and arrangement of the retinal capillary plexus and the ischemic cascade in occlusive retinal vascular disorders and to gain insight into the pathogenesis and progression of age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Dr. Sarraf is an international authority in the area of AMD and has published extensively on the subject of retinal pigment epithelial detachment (PED) and he was nominated to the American Ophthalmological Society because of his research work studying PED and RPE tears in eyes with AMD. Dr. Sarraf is also an expert in the area of retinal toxicity and as a result of his work, UCLA has become a major center for research into Pentosan maculopathy.
Dr. Singh received his bachelor’s and medical degrees from Boston University and completed his residency at the Massachusetts Eye and Infirmary Harvard Combined Program in Boston, Massachusetts. Dr. Singh then completed a medical and surgical fellowship at the Cole Eye Institute in Cleveland, Ohio. He specializes in the treatment of medical and surgical retinal diseases such as diabetic retinopathy, retinal detachment, and age-related macular degeneration. Dr. Singh has authored more than 300 peer-reviewed publications, books, and book chapters and serves as the Principal Investigator of numerous national clinical trials advancing the treatment of retinal disease. Dr. Singh is the former President on the Retina World Congress and is on the board of the American Society of Retina Specialists. He has been honored with several research recognitions such as the Alpha Omega Alpha Research Award and American Society of Retina Specialists Senior Honor Award.
After completing his PhD at Chang Gung University, Dr. Wu pursued a fellowship and post-doctoral research under Dr. Michael Trese at William Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak, Michigan. His primary research focus is on pediatric retina, including conditions such as retinopathy of prematurity, familial exudative vitreoretinopathy, Coats disease, abusive head injury, and pediatric retinal detachment. Dr. Wu serves as an editor for Translational Vision Science & Technology (TVST) and American Journal of Ophthalmology Case Reports (AJOCR). He has authored more than 330 peer-reviewed articles, contributed 8 book chapters, and edited a textbook. He has received numerous awards for his significant contributions to retinal disease research, including the 17th Asia-Pacific Vitreo-Retina Society (APVRS) Congress Best Abstract Award (2024), Travel Grant Award, Club Jules Gonin (2024), Senior Leadership Award, Asia Pacific Academy of Ophthalmology (APAO) (2024), Golden Paper Award, International College of Surgeons (2022 and 2023), Asia Pacific Eye 100 Most Influential Ophthalmologists (2022), World’s Top 2% Scientists Award (2022), American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) Achievement Award (2021), Taiwan Macula Society Academic Award, Taipei, Taiwan (2018), and the Prof. Rajvardhan Azad Oration Award, Raipur, India (2018).
Dr. Chaudhary is Professor of Surgery and Academic Head of Ophthalmology at McMaster University. He serves as city-wide Chief of Ophthalmology at St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton and Hamilton Health Sciences. He is the current President for the Canadian Retina Society. He is the Editor-in-Chief for the Canadian Journal of Ophthalmology and medical retina Section Editor for EYE. He is Chair for the Retina Evidence and Trials INternational Alliance (R.E.T.I.N.A)
Dr Chaudhary is passionate about evidence generation in the field of retina. He has over 130 publications and has secured over $42 million in research grant funding as Principal Investigator. Dr. Chaudhary established and serves as the Principal Investigator for the International Retina Trials Consortium with 50 clinical sites globally. He established and leads the Thomas Kevill Advanced Vitreoretinal Imaging (AVI) Lab at McMaster University. He has delivered over 20 invited key-note lectures globally.
He serves on multiple clinical and medical advisory boards and global steering committees for retina endeavors spanning from basic science research to multi-national clinical trials in the field of retina. He also serves on Data Safety Monitoring Boards for multiple phase 2 and pivotal phase 3 global trials in AMD and gene therapy. He serves as expert member on international guideline development committees.
He has been awarded multiple Education, Achievement and Research Awards including the 2023 NSERC Brockhouse Canada prize for interdisciplinary research in Science and Engineering, Surgeon Scientist Mid-Career Research Award, Faculty of Health Sciences, McMaster University (2024), the Honor and Senior Honor Award by the American Society of Retinal Specialists & the Award for Excellence in Ophthalmic Research by the Canadian Ophthalmological Society.
Dr. Hurley is a Vitreo-Retinal Surgeon and an Assistant Professor in the Department of Ophthalmology at the University of Ottawa Eye Institute, where he also serves as Fellowship Director. He received the Teacher of the Year award in the Residency Program in 2011, 2013, and 2022, and for the Ophthalmic Medical Technology Program in 2016. Dr. Hurley completed his postgraduate medical education with a Retina fellowship at the Wills Eye Hospital in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where he was twice awarded the Outstanding Fellow Award. He has written several chapters and has been the author or co-author of many peer-reviewed publications on topics including diabetic retinopathy and age-related macular degeneration. He has received research support from the E.A. Baker Foundation.
Dr. Koushan attended the University of Toronto for his undergraduate and medical school education, followed by his ophthalmology residency training at McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario. He subsequently went on to finish a 2-year medical/surgical retina fellowship at the University of Florida, Jacksonville. He currently holds the position of Co-Chair of the Scientific Planning Committee for the Canadian Retina Society. He is actively involved in teaching medical students and residents and is also an investigator in multiple clinical trials on diabetic retinopathy and macular degeneration. He is the creator and host of the Retina Channel podcast, which is a venue for discussing new publications in retina. Dr. Koushan has presented at many scientific meetings and has published over a dozen peer-reviewed journal articles or book chapters. He is currently involved in multiple research projects and is the Principal Investigator for the DRCR network at TRI. He has been involved in multiple volunteer organizations, including Foundation Fighting Blindness, Vision Walk, and the CNIB.
Dr. Chaudhary is Professor of Surgery and Academic Head of Ophthalmology at McMaster University. He serves as city-wide Chief of Ophthalmology at St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton and Hamilton Health Sciences. He is the current President for the Canadian Retina Society. He is the Editor-in-Chief for the Canadian Journal of Ophthalmology and medical retina Section Editor for EYE. He is Chair for the Retina Evidence and Trials INternational Alliance (R.E.T.I.N.A)
Dr Chaudhary is passionate about evidence generation in the field of retina. He has over 130 publications and has secured over $42 million in research grant funding as Principal Investigator. Dr. Chaudhary established and serves as the Principal Investigator for the International Retina Trials Consortium with 50 clinical sites globally. He established and leads the Thomas Kevill Advanced Vitreoretinal Imaging (AVI) Lab at McMaster University. He has delivered over 20 invited key-note lectures globally.
He serves on multiple clinical and medical advisory boards and global steering committees for retina endeavors spanning from basic science research to multi-national clinical trials in the field of retina. He also serves on Data Safety Monitoring Boards for multiple phase 2 and pivotal phase 3 global trials in AMD and gene therapy. He serves as expert member on international guideline development committees.
He has been awarded multiple Education, Achievement and Research Awards including the 2023 NSERC Brockhouse Canada prize for interdisciplinary research in Science and Engineering, Surgeon Scientist Mid-Career Research Award, Faculty of Health Sciences, McMaster University (2024), the Honor and Senior Honor Award by the American Society of Retinal Specialists & the Award for Excellence in Ophthalmic Research by the Canadian Ophthalmological Society.
Dr. Hurley is a Vitreo-Retinal Surgeon and an Assistant Professor in the Department of Ophthalmology at the University of Ottawa Eye Institute, where he also serves as Fellowship Director. He received the Teacher of the Year award in the Residency Program in 2011, 2013, and 2022, and for the Ophthalmic Medical Technology Program in 2016. Dr. Hurley completed his postgraduate medical education with a Retina fellowship at the Wills Eye Hospital in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where he was twice awarded the Outstanding Fellow Award. He has written several chapters and has been the author or co-author of many peer-reviewed publications on topics including diabetic retinopathy and age-related macular degeneration. He has received research support from the E.A. Baker Foundation.
Dr. Koushan attended the University of Toronto for his undergraduate and medical school education, followed by his ophthalmology residency training at McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario. He subsequently went on to finish a 2-year medical/surgical retina fellowship at the University of Florida, Jacksonville. He currently holds the position of Co-Chair of the Scientific Planning Committee for the Canadian Retina Society. He is actively involved in teaching medical students and residents and is also an investigator in multiple clinical trials on diabetic retinopathy and macular degeneration. He is the creator and host of the Retina Channel podcast, which is a venue for discussing new publications in retina. Dr. Koushan has presented at many scientific meetings and has published over a dozen peer-reviewed journal articles or book chapters. He is currently involved in multiple research projects and is the Principal Investigator for the DRCR network at TRI. He has been involved in multiple volunteer organizations, including Foundation Fighting Blindness, Vision Walk, and the CNIB.
