Shigeru Kinoshita

Professor and Chair, Department of Frontier Medical Science and Technology for Ophthalmology, Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine, Japan; Distinguished Alumnus, Schepens Eye Research Institute, Department of Ophthalmology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Honorary Distinguished Professor, School of Optometry and Vision Sciences, Cardiff University, UK

Profile

The Therapeutic Trailblazer

Shigeru Kinoshita has consistently led the charge in the advancement of corneal knowledge, making a huge impact through his development of new therapeutic modalities for the cornea. One of Kinoshita’s earliest contributions in this regard came not too long after his graduation from Osaka University Medical School in 1974, when he, alongside Richard Thoft, established the concept of the centripetal movement of the corneal epithelium in the early 1980s at the Schepens Eye Research Institute in Boston, USA. This concept played a large part in the later development of corneal stem cell theory.

Over the following 40 years, Kinoshita continued to contribute to the ophthalmic literature, publishing over 670 articles with an H-index of 98. He also holds more than 39 patents worldwide. Some notable breakthroughs to come out of Kinoshita’s clinical research lab include establishing cultivated endothelial cell injection therapy for corneal endothelial failure as corneal regenerative medicine, amniotic membrane transplantation, and oral mucosal epithelial stem cell transplantation for severe ocular surface disease. Additionally, the Kinoshita lab was responsible for proving the clinical efficacy of topical application of the ROCK-inhibitor for partial endothelial dysfunction, resulting in new corneal endothelial dysfunction therapies.

Kinoshita’s reputation in the global ophthalmology community as a pioneer and innovative researcher has only been strengthened by his instrumental role in the formation of the Eye Research Program at Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine, where he has also held the titles of Professor and Chairman since 1992. Alongside this, over the course of his career, Kinoshita has held roles in several prestigious domestic and international ophthalmic societies, serving as the Vice President of ARVO, the President of the Asia Cornea Society, the President of the Japanese Society of Tissue Transplantation, and the Co-Director of the Fourth World Cornea Congress. Kinoshita has contributed to the dissemination of ophthalmic research through his tenure as an Editorial Board Member of both Cornea and Experimental Eye Research, as well as the Associate Editor of Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science.

Though it is an incredible task to recognize the true impact of Kinoshita’s life and work, a look at some of the awards and honors that he has received provides some insight. Throughout his career, he has been the recipient of the Alcon Research Institute Awards, The Cornea Society’s Castroviejo Medal and Lecture, and ARVO’s Friedenwald Award and Lecture, amongst many others. Now, in 2023, we recognize his contribution to ophthalmology – and medicine at large – through his induction into The Ophthalmologist Power List Hall of Fame.

Awards and Honors: 
1996 – Co-Director, World Cornea Congress IV
1997–  The Dohlman Lecture, 20th Boston Cornea Research
1998 – Editorial Board Member, Cornea
1999 – Alcon Research Institute Awards
2000 – Achievement Award, American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO)
2002 – Editorial Board Member, Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science
2003 – Secretary in General, Japanese Ophthalmological Society
2006 – Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) Trustee, Cornea
2007 – Associate Editor, Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science
2007 – Editorial Board Member, Experimental Eye Research
2008 – Castroviejo Medal and Lecture, The Cornea Society
2009 – ARVO Gold Fellow
2010 – Vice President, ARVO
2011 – Doyne Memorial Lecture, Oxford Ophthalmological Congress
2014 – Achievement Award, Asia-Pacific Academy of Ophthalmology (APAO)
2015 – Charles D. Kelman Innovator’s Lecture, American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons
2016 – Friedenwald Award and Lecture, ARVO
2016 - William J. Holmes Lecture, APAO
2017 – The Japanese Ophthalmological Society Special Service Award 
2017 – The Coster Lecture, The Australian and New Zealand Cornea Society
2017 – The David Easty Lecture, The Bowman’s Club
2019 – President, Japanese Society of Tissue Transplantation
2019 – Memorial Lecture of Professor Yang Yen Fei, The Ophthalmological Society of Taiwan
2021 – President of the Asia Cornea Society
2022 – The Plenary Lecture, World Cornea Congress
2023 – Harold Stein Innovator Lecture, Canadian Ophthalmological Society
2023 – The Ophthalmologist Power List Hall of Fame