Sophie X. Deng, MD, PhD, FARVO

named 2025 - 2026 ARVO president

Rockville, Md.—This month the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) welcomed Sophie X. Deng, MD, PhD, FARVO, as its new president for 2025 – 2026. The announcement was made during the Association’s 2025 Annual Meeting held recently in Salt Lake City, Utah.

A member for more than 20 years, Deng is a Fellow of ARVO (FARVO) ― a recognition of her individual accomplishments, leadership and contributions to the Association. Her various volunteer roles include service as a member and as chair of its Annual Meeting Program Committee. She was a member also of its Awards Canvassing Working Group, the ARVO Foundation Awards Committee, and as president will head ARVO’s Board of Trustees.

A professor at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Deng is the Walton Li Chair in Cornea and Uveitis, co-chief of the Cornea and Uveitis Division and Vice Chair for Inspiring Excellence at the Stein Eye Institute. She is also director of the Institute’s Cornea Biology Laboratory where her research focuses on developing regenerative therapies for corneal diseases. One of Deng's projects aims to improve current treatment for patients with limbal stem cell deficiency by using stem cell therapy to restore vision. Another focuses on developing exosome-based therapy for the treatment of corneal scarring. She conducts clinical studies as well to develop new imaging and molecular tests for accurate diagnosis and staging of corneal diseases.

For the 2026 ARVO Annual Meeting, which will be hosted May 3 – 7 in Denver, Colo., Deng has selected the theme, Achieving precision ophthalmology through innovative vision research. She notes, “With the rapid advancements in stem cell biology, high-resolution in vivo imaging and artificial intelligence, now is the ideal time to leverage these knowledge and tools to advance regenerative medicine, particularly in ophthalmology.”

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The Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) is an international eye and vision research organization with more than 10,000 members from over 60 countries. The Association’s Annual Meeting is the premier global gathering for eye and vision scientists, students, and those in affiliated fields to share the latest research findings and collaborate on innovative solutions. ARVO advances research worldwide into understanding the visual system and preventing, treating and curing its disorders. Learn more at ARVO.org.

Media contact:
Jenniffer Scherhaufer
1.240.221.2923
media@arvo.org