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Apte awarded Gold Medal by Saudi Ophthalmology Society

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Honor recognizes his lifetime contributions to vision science and advances in retinal disease and surgery

Rajendra S. Apte, MD, PhD, Paul A. Cibis Distinguished Professor in the WashU Medicine John F. Hardesty, MD Department of Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences, was awarded the Gold Medal by the Saudi Ophthalmology Society for his lifetime contributions to vision science, retinal disease research, and vitreoretinal surgery.

Rajendra S Apte, MD, PhD

Rajendra S Apte, MD, PhD

Paul A. Cibis Distinguished Professor of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences; Vice Chair for Innovation and Translation

The honor was presented during the Society’s annual meeting in Riyadh—its first-ever joint gathering with the Gulf Ophthalmology Society—bringing together clinicians, researchers, and trainees from across the region.

The Gold Medal is among the Society’s highest recognitions and is reserved for individuals whose work has transformed the understanding and treatment of eye disease. Apte’s groundbreaking research in retinal inflammation, neurodegeneration, and angiogenesis, along with his leadership in clinical and surgical innovation, has positioned him as one of the world’s foremost retinal physician-scientists.

I am honored to accept this award on behalf of the talented researchers in the Apte lab, collaborators in the John F. Hardesty, MD Department of Ophthalmology and around the country. I would like to thank Dr. Aaron Lee for his unwavering support and grateful to Jeffrey T. Fort, Liz Dorr, Alvin Siteman, Starr Foundation, Carl Marshall and Mildred Almen Reeves Foundation, National Eye Institute and Research to Prevent Blindness Inc., for recognizing the value in supporting our research.

Apte’s award highlights WashU Medicine’s ongoing global impact in advancing ophthalmic science and improving outcomes for patients with vision-threatening disease.

  • Rajendra S. Apte, MD, PhD, received the Gold Medal from the Saudi Ophthalmology Society during its annual meeting in Riyadh.
  • Rajendra S. Apte, MD, PhD, received the Gold Medal from the Saudi Ophthalmology Society during its annual meeting in Riyadh.
  • Rajendra S. Apte, MD, PhD, received the Gold Medal from the Saudi Ophthalmology Society during its annual meeting in Riyadh.
  • Rajendra S. Apte, MD, PhD, received the Gold Medal from the Saudi Ophthalmology Society during its annual meeting in Riyadh.
About WashU Medicine

WashU Medicine is a global leader in academic medicine, including biomedical research, patient care and educational programs with 2,900 faculty. Its National Institutes of Health (NIH) research funding portfolio is the second largest among U.S. medical schools and has grown 56% in the last seven years. Together with institutional investment, WashU Medicine commits well over $1 billion annually to basic and clinical research innovation and training. Its faculty practice is consistently within the top five in the country, with more than 1,900 faculty physicians practicing at 130 locations and who are also the medical staffs of Barnes-Jewish and St. Louis Children’s hospitals of BJC HealthCare. WashU Medicine has a storied history in MD/PhD training, recently dedicated $100 million to scholarships and curriculum renewal for its medical students, and is home to top-notch training programs in every medical subspecialty as well as physical therapy, occupational therapy, and audiology and communications sciences.