2025 Bernardo Streiff Gold Medal Recipient

“Al is a peripatetic ophthalmologist. Having received his MD from Harvard, and his MHS in epidemiology from Hopkins, he trained at Wilmer and has spent much of his time conducting ophthalmic epidemiologic studies around the world. Al is best known for his discovery that 2 cents worth of vitamin A can reduce childhood mortality in the developing world by 33%. He is a Professor Emeritus at Wilmer and the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, where he was the Dean from 1990 to 2015. On a practical note, he led the original development of the AAO’s Preferred Practice Patterns. Al has received considerable recognition, among them the Lasker Award for Clinical Research, the Smadel medal of the Infectious Disease Society of America, the Prince Mahidol Award from the King of Thailand, the Gonin and Duke Elder gold medals from the ICO, and the Laureat Award of the AAO. Al is a member of both the National Academy of Medicine and the National Academy of Science. He has received Honorary Doctoral degrees from Johns Hopkins and McGill universities, among others.”

2025 Academia Ophthalmologica Internationalis Oration

Prof.dr.ir. Hester Bijl (1971) is Rector Magnificus of Leiden University, since 2021, and member of its Executive Board.
In this capacity she is, amongst others, responsible for:

• Education
• Research
• Full Professor appointments
• Knowledge security
• Partnerships LERU and UNA Europa
• Development of Leiden Bio Science Park

Hester Bijl is full Professor of Numerical Mathematics at the Mathematical Institute of the Faculty of Science. She is also a member of the Supervisory Board of TNO (Dutch Organisation for Applied Scientific Research) and member of the board of directors of Impuls Zeeland, the Regional Development Agency of the province Zeeland. Bijl is also a board member of the Leiden Bio Science Park Foundation.

Hester Bijl studied Applied Mathematics at Delft University of Technology, where she obtained a PhD in numerical mathematics in 1999. She also obtained a master’s degree in English Language and Literature from Leiden University. For her research on applications of computational fluid dynamics in aerospace and wind energy technology, she received, various grants.

She was a member of the first cohort of the Young Academy of the KNAW (Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts & Sciences) and also served on its board. From 1999 to 2003, she was a visiting researcher at NASA Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virgina for several periods.

Before coming to Leiden in 2016, where she was appointed vice-Rector Magnificus, Bijl spent 17 years at Delft University of Technology’s Faculty of Aerospace Engineering, where she held various positions. Hester Bijl was appointed full professor in 2006 and held the position of dean of the faculty from 2013 until the end of 2016.

2025 Academia Ophthalmologica Internationalis Lecture

Rubens Belfort Jr. MD, PhD, MBA. Senior Professor of Ophthalmology, Fed Univ of Sao Paulo. President of the Vision Institute.

• Geriatric Ophthalmology, Infectious Ocular Diseases and Immunopathology
• 50 years of work in Amazonia Blinding Diseases
• H Google index 81
• 15 Books in English, Portuguese and Spanish
• Conferences in 35 countries

Former Positions:

President National Academy of Medicine (Brazil), Pan American Association of Ophthalmology, Chair Pan American Foundation of Ophthalmology, Member Int Council Ophthalmology, President of the World Ophthalmology Congress, Pan American Ophthalmology Congress and Brazilian Congress of Ophthalmology.

Memberships:

National Academy of Medicine (Brazil), Academia Ophthalmologica Internationalis, Brazilian Academy of Sciences, Brazilian Academy of Pharmacy, International Uveitis Study Group and AAO

Awards:

Champalimaud Award, Senior Achievement Award, American Academy of Ophthalmology, O’Connor/ Schlaegel Gold Medal, Pan-American Medal for Distinguished Services, Brazilian Medal of Scientific Merit, President of Brazil

Honor lectures:

Duke Elder Medal and Lecture, Jackson Memorial Lecture, Pan American Association of Ophthalmology Lecture, The Mourad Khalil Lecture, Gradle Lecture