Dr. Robert L. Avery is Founder and CEO of California Retina Consultants and a pioneering figure in anti-VEGF therapy development. He received his medical degree from Johns Hopkins University and completed his ophthalmology training at the Wilmer Eye Institute, followed by vitreoretinal fellowship at Duke University. Dr. Avery played a leading role in the clinical development of anti-VEGF agents for retinal diseases and co-founded the California Retina Research Foundation, which oversees over 30 active clinical trials. He has received Senior Honor Awards from the American Academy of Ophthalmology and American Society of Retina Specialists, where he served on the board of directors, and was the first recipient of the Ronald G. Michels Fellowship Award. He has published over 100 peer-reviewed articles, holds patents in retinal drug delivery, and is a partner in two ophthalmology venture capital firms.

Dr. Dean Eliott is Director Emeritus of the Mass Eye and Ear Retina Service and Professor of Ophthalmology at Harvard Medical School, where he also serves as Co-Director of the Diabetic Eye Disease Center of Excellence. He completed his medical training at Vanderbilt University and vitreoretinal fellowship at Duke University before joining Harvard Medical School faculty. Dr. Eliott specializes in diabetic retinopathy, AMD, complex vitreoretinal surgery, and innovative treatments including stem cell therapy and vision-restoring devices. He has published over 300 research works and actively participates as principal investigator in multiple clinical trials for retinal diseases.

Dominik Fischer is Professor of Ophthalmology at the University of Oxford, Centre for Ophthalmology Tübingen, and University of Lausanne, with clinical roles as Consultant Ophthalmic Surgeon at Oxford Eye Hospital. He earned his MD summa cum laude from Universität Witten/Herdecke and DPhil in Clinical Neuroscience from Oxford University, with clinical training across multiple international institutions. Dr. Fischer specializes in retinal gene therapy and inherited retinal dystrophies, serving as Chief Investigator of the first global post-approval safety study for ocular gene therapy. He has received over 25 awards for his contributions to ophthalmology and performed more than 10,,000 surgical procedures while leading clinical trials in Oxford and Tübingen.

Dr. Robert E. MacLaren is Professor of Ophthalmology at the University of Oxford and Consultant Ophthalmologist at Oxford Eye Hospital, with additional roles as NIHR Senior Investigator and Fellow of multiple prestigious academies. He has pioneered numerous world-first achievements in retinal gene therapy, including co-founding Nightstar Therapeutics (acquired by Biogen) and Beacon Therapeutics, collectively raising over $1 billion for retinal gene therapy development. Dr. MacLaren performed the first robot-assisted operation inside the human eye and led the first gene therapy trials for choroideremia and X-linked retinitis pigmentosa. He has published over 447 research works with more than 15,000 citations and received numerous awards including the ARVO Camras Award for Translational Research.

Dr. Robyn H. Guymer is Professor of Ophthalmology at the University of Melbourne and Deputy Director of the Centre for Eye Research Australia (CERA), where she heads the Macular Research unit. She completed her medical degree and PhD in Australia before undertaking a Medical Retinal Fellowship at Moorfields Eye Hospital in London with Professor Alan Bird. Dr. Guymer is internationally recognized for her pioneering work in early AMD detection and intervention, particularly her role in defining nascent geographic atrophy through OCT imaging. She has published over 400 peer-reviewed papers with more than 28,000 citations and was appointed Member (AM) in the General Division of the 2018 Queen’s Birthday Honours List for her contributions to ophthalmology research.

Dr. Allen C. Ho is Attending Surgeon and Director of Retina Research at Wills Eye Hospital and Professor of Ophthalmology at Thomas Jefferson University. He is past President of The Retina Society and leader of Eyecelerator, the largest ophthalmic innovation meeting globally. Dr. Ho has extensive translational clinical research experience as Study Chair, Steering Committee Member, or Principal Investigator of over 70 clinical trials. He has served on the US FDA Ophthalmic Device Panel and multiple AAO committees. Dr. Ho has authored over 325 peer-reviewed publications, is Editor-in-Chief of Current Opinion in Ophthalmology, and has received distinguished awards from the American Academy of Ophthalmology and multiple retina societies.

Dr. Anat Loewenstein is Professor and Director of the Division of Ophthalmology at Tel Aviv Medical Center and Sydney Fox Chair of Ophthalmology at Tel Aviv University’s Sackler Faculty of Medicine. She currently serves as President of EURETINA (European Society of Retina Specialists) and has pioneered cutting-edge technologies including home OCT monitoring and artificial intelligence algorithms for retinal disease detection. Dr. Loewenstein specializes in drug administration to the retina, early AMD detection, and played a pivotal role in developing the FDA-approved Port Delivery System. She has published over 500 papers in peer-reviewed journals and serves as Editor-in-Chief of Case Reports in Ophthalmology while maintaining leadership roles across multiple international retinal organizations.

Dr. Carl D. Regillo is Director of the Retina Service at Wills Eye Hospital and Professor of Ophthalmology at Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University. He received his medical degree from Harvard Medical School and completed his ophthalmology residency and vitreoretinal fellowship at Wills Eye Hospital, followed by four years of military service as a vitreoretinal surgeon. Dr. Regillo has served as principal investigator for numerous major international clinical trials investigating treatments for macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, and other retinal conditions. He has authored over 300 scientific papers and received multiple distinguished awards, including Charter Inductee status in the Retina Hall of Fame.

Charles C. Wykoff, MD, PhD is Director of Research at Retina Consultants of Texas and Chairman of Research, Retina Consultants of America. He earned his BS from MIT, PhD from Oxford University while on a Marshall Scholarship, MD from Harvard Medical School, and retina training at BPEI. He has published over 350 peer-reviewed manuscripts and serves on multiple scientific and medical advisory boards, safety monitoring committees, and global steering committees for endeavors spanning the innovative process from early to late-stage developments. He serves on the ASRS Executive Committee and Board of Directors, is a founding member of the Ophthalmology Retina Editorial Board and is a member of the NEI Audacious Goals Steering Committee.

Dr. Christine A. Curcio is Professor Emerita of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. She is internationally recognized for pioneering research in human retinal neuroscience and AMD pathobiology, particularly her foundational work on photoreceptor mapping, drusen composition, and histologic validation of clinical retinal imaging. Dr. Curcio has published over 280 scientific papers with more than 38,000 citations and contributed to the development rod-mediated dark adaptation as a functional risk indicator for AMD. She has received numerous prestigious awards including the 2025 Proctor Medal from ARVO and the 2020 Research to Prevent Blindness David F. Weeks Award.

Dr. Rajendra Kumar-Singh is Professor of Developmental, Molecular and Chemical Biology at Tufts University School of Medicine with secondary appointments in Neuroscience and Ophthalmology. He earned his PhD in Ocular Genetics from Trinity College, University of Dublin, and previously served as Scientific Founder and Chief Scientific Officer of Hemera Biosciences, which was acquired by Janssen Pharmaceuticals. Dr. Kumar-Singh specializes in gene therapy for retinal diseases and complement system research, having invented soluble sCD59 (HMR59) therapy for geographic atrophy. His research focuses on developing novel gene delivery systems and anti-angiogenic treatments, with particular expertise in complement-mediated retinal diseases.

Dr. S. Patricia Becerra is Senior Investigator and Head of the Section of Protein Structure and Function at the National Eye Institute, National Institutes of Health. She earned her PhD in Biochemistry from the University of Navarra, Spain, and completed postdoctoral training at multiple NIH institutes focusing on enzymology and molecular virology. Dr. Becerra is internationally recognized for her groundbreaking research on PEDF (Pigment Epithelium-Derived Factor) and its therapeutic applications for retinal diseases. Her work on PEDF structure-function relationships and neuroprotective mechanisms has led to clinical trials for age-related macular degeneration, with over 140 publications advancing the field of retinal therapeutics.