Vision Science Research Retreat 2025 celebrates innovation, collaboration and discovery

Faculty, trainees and staff gathered for the annual retreat featuring poster sessions, food trucks and research awards The John F. Hardesty, MD, Department of Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences hosted the 2025 Vision Science Research Retreat on Friday, October 3, bringing together faculty, trainees and staff for a day celebrating innovation and collaboration in vision research. […]

Shui accepts award on behalf of WashU Medicine Eye Center volunteers

Honored for ongoing service with Health Protection & Education Services at University City Library Ying-Bo Shui, MD, PhD, Senior Scientist at WashU Medicine John F. Hardesty, MD, Department of Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences, accepted an award in September on behalf of colleagues and trainees from the WashU Eye Centers. The recognition, presented at the Health […]

Lee and Team Named Finalists in NIH S-Index Challenge

NIH S-Index Challenge

Aaron Y. Lee, MD, MSCI, and team named Phase 1 finalists in the NIH S-Index Challenge for developing a novel metric to reward high-quality data sharing. St. Louis, MO — September 16, 2025 — We are excited to share that Aaron Y. Lee, MD, MSCI, Arthur W. Stickle Distinguished Professor and Chairman of the WashU Medicine […]

Yoshida Named 2025 NIH Outstanding Scholar in Neuroscience

JULY 3, 2025 — ST. LOUIS, MO — WashU Medicine John F. Hardesty, MD Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences congratulates Mitsukuni Yoshida, MD, PhD, on being selected as a 2025 recipient of the NIH Outstanding Scholars in Neuroscience Award Program (OSNAP). I am very humbled and honored to receive this recognition. As a physician-scientist, […]

WashU Medicine Celebrates the Winners of the 2025 Winston Fellow Competition

St. Louis, MO — May 30, 2025 — The John F. Hardesty, MD, Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences at WashU Medicine proudly announces the winners of the 2025 Winston Fellow Competition. This annual event showcases outstanding research contributions from postdoctoral fellows and graduate students. We extend our heartfelt congratulations to the award recipients. Winners […]

FAER Awards Research Fellowship Grant to Dr. Mitsukuni Yoshida

ST. LOUIS, MO — May 23, 2025 — The Foundation for Anesthesia Education and Research (FAER) has awarded a prestigious Research Fellowship Grant to Mitsukuni Yoshida, MD, PhD, a research fellow in the Apte Lab and a physician-scientist in the Academic Scholar Advancement Program (ASAP) in the Department of Anesthesiology. The funded project, titled “The […]

WashU Medical Students Honored with Awards for Vision Research

The John F. Hardesty, MD, Department of Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences (DOVS) at WashU Medicine is proud to announce that two medical students from the Apte Lab have received prestigious awards recognizing their outstanding research in vision science. Wilson Wang, a talented medical student researcher, has been awarded the Max & Evelyn Grand and Robert Carter […]

Sharon Sabapathypillai, MD, MS receives 2025-2026 Heed Fellowship

ST. LOUIS, MO – April 25, 2025 —WashU Medicine John F. Hardesty, MD Department of Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences proudly announces that Sharon Sabapathypillai, MD, MS has been selected as one of the 2025 – 2026 Heed Ophthalmic Fellows. Dr. Sabapathypillai, currently a resident physician at WashU Medicine and incoming glaucoma fellow in the Department […]

Rajendra Apte, MD, PhD receives Outstanding Faculty and Staff Award

St. Louis, MO — April 21, 2025 — Rajendra Apte, MD, PhD, was honored with the Outstanding Faculty and Staff Award during a special ceremony recognizing exemplary contributions to the academic community. The 26th annual Outstanding Faculty and Staff Award Ceremony took place on Monday, April 21, at 5:00 p.m. in Steinberg Auditorium on the […]

WashU Medicine’s Department of Ophthalmology Recognized for Clinical Excellence with Dr. Philip Custer’s Prestigious Award 

St. Louis, MO – March 21, 2025 – The WashU Medicine John F. Hardesty, MD Department of Ophthalmology is honored to celebrate Philip Custer, MD, FACS recipient of the 2025 Dr. Neville Grant Award for Clinical Excellence. This prestigious award recognizes an attending physician at Barnes-Jewish Hospital who exemplifies superior clinical care, outstanding compassion, respect […]

Five named National Academy of Inventors senior members (Links to an external site)

Five named National Academy of Inventors senior members

Five researchers from Washington University in St. Louis have been named senior members of the National Academy of Inventors (NAI). Among the new senior members are three researchers from the School of Medicine: Rajendra Apte, MD, PhD, Aaron DiAntonio, MD PhD, and John DiPersio, MD, PhD; along with Sophia Hayes, a ​professor of chemistry in […]

Dr. Cynthia Montana Honored with 2025 Dean’s Impact Award for Dedication to Community Engagement

Montana Honored with 2025 Dean’s Impact Award

FEBRUARY 2025 ST. LOUIS, MO — WashU Medicine is proud to announce that Dr. Cynthia Montana has been selected as a recipient of the 2025 Dean’s Impact Award, recognizing her unwavering commitment to serving the underserved communities of St. Louis and advancing excellence in ophthalmologic care. The Dean’s Impact Awards honor faculty members whose work […]

Kerschensteiner Installed as Bernard Becker Professor of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences

On Thursday, January 23, 2025, esteemed colleagues, students, and distinguished guests gathered to honor Dr. Daniel Kerschensteiner, MD, as he was installed as the Bernard Becker Professor of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences. This prestigious professorship recognized Dr. Kerschensteiner’s exceptional contributions to vision science and his dedication to advancing our understanding and treatment of visual disorders. […]

$5 Million Investment Advances CRX-Related Blindness Research

CRX Gene Related Blindness Research

Philanthropic Gift Fuels Breakthroughs in Restorative Treatments for Hereditary Blindness ST. LOUIS, MO – November, 2024 — WashU Medicine John F. Hardesty, MD Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences is proud to announce a generous $5 million investment from a Polish donor, aimed at advancing innovative genetic and stem cell research led by Shiming Chen, PhD, […]

Mitsu Yoshida Awarded VitreoRetinal Surgery Foundation Research Fellowship for Innovative AMD Study

Yoshida VRSF Research Fellowship

ST. LOUIS, MO – December 17, 2024 — Mitsu Yoshida, MD, PhD, a researcher at WashU Medicine, has been named the recipient of the VitreoRetinal Surgery Foundation (VRSF) Research Fellowship. Yoshida’s project, titled “The role of adipokine-regulated lipid mediator in age-related retinal dysfunction and disease“, aims to uncover novel mechanisms linking systemic aging to retinal degeneration, […]

Taku Yamamoto Receives VRSF Award for Research on Aging and Ocular Immunity

Taku Yamamoto Award

ST. LOUIS, MO – December 17, 2024 —  Taku Yamamoto, MD, PhD, a researcher at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, has been honored with the Vision Research Scientific Foundation (VRSF) Award for his groundbreaking work on immunosenescence, the aging-related transition of the immune system. Yamamoto’s project focuses on understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying […]

Henok Getahun receives RPB Medical Student Eye Research Fellowship

Henok Getahun Awarded Prestigious RPB Medical Student Eye Research Fellowship ST. LOUIS, MO – December 4, 2024 — Henok Getahun, WashU Medicine Medical Student, has been honored with the RPB Medical Student Eye Research Fellowship, a distinguished award that supports promising medical students in pursuing innovative research projects in ophthalmology. Getahun’s groundbreaking research focuses on a […]

Installation Ceremony for Shiming Chen, PhD

On November 6, 2024, WashU Medicine hosted the installation ceremony of Shiming Chen, PhD, as the Dr. Bernard and Janet R. Becker Distinguished Professor of Ophthalmology. Held in the Farrell Learning and Teaching Center’s Connor Auditorium, the ceremony honored both Dr. Chen’s groundbreaking contributions to the field and the enduring legacy of Dr. Bernard and […]

WashU Medicine Researcher Awarded Grant to Study Aging Immune System’s Role in Uveitis

Rajendra Apte, MD, PhD

WashU Medicine’s Dr. Rajendra Apte receives $35,000 research grant award from the Macula Society to study the impact of the aging immune system on uveitis-related vision loss, aiming to discover targeted treatments for older patients. ST. LOUIS, MO – November 4, 2024 – Dr. Rajendra S. Apte, the Paul A. Cibis Distinguished Professor of Ophthalmology […]

Dr. Poonam Naik Named CRM Distinguished Postdoctoral Scholar

Poonam Naik, PhD

We are thrilled to share that Poonam Naik, PhD, a postdoctoral associate in the laboratory of Rajendra Apte, MD, PhD, has been named a Center of Regenerative Medicine (CRM) Distinguished Postdoctoral Scholar for her groundbreaking research on Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD). This prestigious honor recognizes her innovative work on one of the leading causes of […]