Program

Scientific Schedule

Thursday 19th June 2025 at the Rijksmuseum Boerhaave, Leiden
Partners are invited the whole day

13:00 Registration at the Rijksmuseum Boerhaave with Coffee/Tea/Lunch
Session 1. To create and preserve Academic medicine
Chairs: Hélène Dollfus, Francesco Bandello, Fernando J Arevalo, Boris Malyugin
13:50 Richard L Abbott, Martine J Jager Welcome
14:05 Bruce Spivey The origins of AOI and how it was developed
14:20 Richard L Abbott The Current Status and Future Goals of the AOI
14:30 Gullapalli N Rao How we built the LV Prasad Institute
14:40 Anne L Coleman Inheriting a department and what to do with it
14:50 Eduardo C Alfonso A road map for going from good to great with the BPEI
15:00 Discussion on how to combine care with innovative research
Streiff Medal
(partners welcome)
Chairs: Richard L Abbott, Serge Resnikoff, Charles McGhee
15:20 Richard L Abbott Introducing the Streiff medalist
15:25 Al Sommer Streiff medal lecture:
an Ophthalmologist’s Peripatetic Career.
15:45 Richard L Abbott Presentation of the Streiff Medal
15:50 Break
Session 2. History of Leiden
Chairs: Hugh Taylor, Tero Kivelä, Marie-José Tassignon, Kanxing Zhao
16:05 Pieter Slaman, Leiden University Historian History of Leiden and its medical school
16:20 Jan-Willem Beenakker From 0 degrees K to modern imaging: technology in Leiden
16:30 Mieneke te Hennepe, Curator Rijksmuseum Boerhaave Boerhaave museum and its ophthalmology items
16:40 Examine books and historic items
17:10 Guided tours through the Boerhaave museum, visiting the Theater Anatomicum
18:00 Welcome with Drinks
18:10 – 21:00 Welcome reception with heavy hors d’óeuvres (walking dinner) in the museum

Friday 20th June 2025 at the Academy Building, Rapenburg 73, Leiden 
Locaton: Academy Building, Telders Auditorium

08:45 Arrival of participants
Session 3. Business meeting AOI
Chair: Richard L Abbott, President AOI
09:00 Business Meeting AOI
10:30 Coffee/Tea break
Session 4. Inaugurations
(partners welcome)
Chair: Richard L Abbott, Hiroko Terasaki, Charles NJ McGhee, Serge Resnikoff, Martine Jager
11:00 Inaugurations
Chair VII Professor Frank Holz, Bonn, Germany
Chair VIII Professor Andrew Dick, Bristol, UK
Chair XI Professor David Chang, San Francisco, USA
Chair XXII Professor David Mackey, Perth, Australia
Chair XXXVIII Professor Catherine Creuzot-Garcher, Dijon, France
Chair XLIX Professor David Friedman, Boston, USA
Chair XCIV Professor Allan Slomovic, Toronto, Canada
12:30 Sit down lunch in Academy Building (partners welcome if registered)
Academia Ophthalmologica Internationalis Oration
(partners welcome)
Session 5. The role of universities: beyond borders?
Chairs: Richard L Abbott, Martine J Jager
14:00 Martine J Jager Introduction of AOI Orator
14:05 Hester Bijl, Rector Magnificus of Leiden University AOI Oration: Academic freedom and role of medical schools and universities
14:25 Martine J Jager, Richard L Abbott Presentation of AOI Oration Gift
14:30 Discussion
Chairs: Julia Haller, Fung-Rong Hu, Anselm Kampik, Neeru Gupta
14:40 Paul Sieving Research freedom (or not) in the USA
14:50 Tien Y Wong Collaborations from China with Europe and USA
15:00 Andrew Dick Collaborations between London and China
15:10
15:20 Discussion: Can research remain collaborative in our changing global environment?
15:40 Coffee/Tea break
Session 6. Developing collaborations
Chairs: Annabelle Okada, Petja Vessileva, Paul Chan, Zbigniew F Zagorski
16:10 Claus Cursiefen A 12-year integrative anterior segment research program
16:20 Caroline Klaver A Dutch national multidisciplinary posterior segment research program
16:30 Harminder Dua How discoveries are adopted or challenged in the global community
16:40 Richard Parrish How journals contribute to collaborations
16:50 Discussion on Internationalisation (Challenges, successes, cultural differences)
17:10 Guided walk to the boats at Apothekersdijk – boats leaving at 17:30 hrs. (partners welcome)
17:30 Boat tour through the canals of Leiden incl drinks (partners welcome)
18:30 Arrival by boat at the Hortus Botanicus (partners welcome)
18:30 – 19:00 Drinks in the Hortus Botanicus (partners welcome)
19:00 – 21:00 Buffet/dinner in the garden of the Hortus and Orangerie (partners welcome)
22:00 Walk through the garden, end of the evening

Saturday 21st June 2025 at the Academy Building, Rapenburg 73, Leiden 
Location: Academy Building, Telders Auditorium

08:45 Arrival of participants
Session 7. Inaugurations
(partners welcome)
09:00 Inaugurations
Chair: Richard L Abbott, Hiroko Terasaki, Charles NJ McGhee, Serge Resnikoff, Martine Jager
Chair LXII Professor Berthold Seitz, Homburg/Saar, Germany
Chair LXXI  Professor Helen Danesh Meyer, Auckland, New Zealand
Chair LXXXIV Professor Lihteh Wu, San José, Costa Rica
Chair LXXVII Professor Zuguo Liu, Xiamen, P.R. China
Chair XCV Professor Johanna Seddon, Boston, USA
Chair XCVI Professor Yaxing Wang, Beijing, P.R. China
Chair XCVII Professor Peizeng Yang, Chongqing, P.R. China
Chair XCVIII Professor Farhad Hafezi, Geneva, Zurich, Switserland
10:30 Group Photograph in the Academy Square
10:40 Coffee/Tea break
Session 8. Improving clinical care through education: role of fellowships
Chairs: Xinquan Fan, Rafael Barraquer, Maria Berrocal, Marco Zarbin
11:10 Jinfeng Cao Value of a Chinese Scholarship Council fellowship
11:20 Viridiana Kocab Fellowships: experience on three continents
11:30 Berthold Seitz IOFF- Ophthalmology Foundation – Fellowships
11:40 Karl Golnik AI and educatio
11:50 Marie-José Tassignon Harmonization of Sub-Specialty fellowships in Europa
12:00 Discussion on how to improve education
12:30 Sit down lunch in Academy Building (partners welcome if registered)
Session 9. Global Ophthalmology
Chairs: Jorge L Alio, Jost Jonas, Kanxing Zhao, Peter McDonnell
13:20 Martine Jager / Renbing Jia Eye melanoma patients from different parts of the world
13:30 Jorge Alio Changing eye color: is it smart?
13:40 Xianqun Fan Strategy for Retinoblastoma treatment in China
13:50 Janey Wiggs Do genetics provide useful information for patients?
14:00 Camiel Boon Gene therapy for IRDs: developments and challenges
14:10 Emily Chew AI in retinal diseases
14:20 Serge Resnikoff Quality gaps in cataract surgery in different parts of the world
14:30 Prashant Garg Using AI for improving care in India
14:45 Discussion on on improving care
AOI lecture by Rubens Belfort Jr
(partners welcome)
Chair: Richard L Abbott
14:55 Richard L Abbott Introducing AOI Lecturer R. Belfort
15:00 Rubens Belfort Jr AOI Lecture: Diplomacy for Medicine and Science
15:20 Richard L Abbott/Charles NJ McGhee Presentation of AOI Lecture Gift
15:25 Richard L Abbott and Martine J Jager Conclusions, announcements
15:30 Guided Walking Tour through Leiden (partners welcome)
18:30 Drinks at Museum of Antiquities (partners welcome)
19:15 Gala Anniversary Dinner (partners welcome)
Dress code: men coat & tie; women festive
22:00 End of conference