Dr. Shigeru Kinoshita, a clinician scientist, graduated from Osaka University Medical School in 1974, and served as the Professor and Chair of Ophthalmology at Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine since 1992. Because of his stepping down from the Chair of Ophthalmology in March 2015, He was elected the Professor of Frontier Medical Science and Technology for Ophthalmology at Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine in April 2015. And, he has been continuously working as a distinguished clinician scientist.
In the early 1980s at Harvard Medical School, his groundbreaking work has shed new light on the importance of corneal epithelial stem cell. Over the past 40 years, his primary interest has been focused on the translational research of new therapeutic modalities for severe corneal diseases. Following this path, his group has established amniotic membrane transplantation, cultivated oral mucosal epithelial stem cell transplantation for severe ocular surface disorders and cultivated corneal endothelial cell injection therapy for corneal endothelial failure as corneal regenerative medicine. His group also proved the clinical efficacy of Rho-associated protein kinase (ROCK)-inhibitor topical application for partial endothelial dysfunction, aiming at the development of novel therapies for corneal endothelial dysfunction. He has been interested in pathophysiology of blepharokeratoconjunctivitis.
Kinoshita is a recipient of the 1999 Alcon Research Institute Award, the 2008 Castroviejo Medal Lecturer of the Cornea Society, the Doyne Memorial Lecturer of the 2011 Oxford Ophthalmological Congress in United Kingdam, Charles D. Kelman Inovator Award of ASCRS 2015, the Friedenwald Award Lecturer at the ARVO 2016, The Coster Lecture at the Australian and New Zealand Cornea Society 2017, David Easty Lecture at the Bowman’s Club 2017, Memorial Lecture of Professor Yang Yen Fei at Taiwan Ophthalmological Society 2020, the Plenary Lecturer of the 8th World Cornea Congress 2022, Harold Stein Innovator Lecture of Canadian Ophthalmological Society 2023, and The Ophthalmologist’s Hall of Fame 2023. He served as the ARVO Trustee of the Cornea Section between 2006 and 2011. He has been the president of the Japanese Society of Tissue Transplantation since 2019. He is now the president of the Asia Cornea Society.
