Professor John Dart from UCL Institute of Ophthalmology and Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, who serves on the AKEF Medical Advisory Board. As a clinical scientist, he is recognized for his collaborative work with other researchers in the laboratory. His research focuses on corneal infections, inflammatory diseases of the ocular surface, and translating these discoveries into clinical trials, with a specialization in Acanthamoeba Keratitis, Pemphigoid, and clinical trials.

Dr. Eleiwa earned his medical and surgical degrees at Benha University in Egypt, where he also served as faculty for over a decade. He earned his PhD in Cornea and External Eye diseases at the world-renowned Bascom Palmer Eye Institute in the USA. He currently practices as a corneal refractive and cataract surgeon at Magrabi Hospital in Saudi Arabia. Dr. Eleiwa specializes in severe corneal infections, corneal transplantation, and advanced anterior segment disease.

Professor Steinemann is a board-certified ophthalmologist specializing in cornea and cataract surgery. He serves as Clinical Professor at Case Western Reserve University and has been a teaching physician and Division Director at MetroHealth since 1999. His work focuses on ocular safety and contact lens policy, including co-leading efforts that secured U.S. federal law regulating all contact lenses as medical devices. He is a voting member of the FDA Ophthalmic Devices Panel and has received multiple AAO awards for his contributions to advocacy and patient safety.

Dr. Reynard graduated cum laude from the prestigious advanced scholars’ program at the Salus Pennsylvania College of Optometry. He went on to complete a residency in Cornea and Contact Lenses and a fellowship in Dry Eye Disease at the UAB School of Optometry. He has acted as a sub-investigator in multiple dry eye and contact lens clinical trials, and serves as medical editor for the digital publication EyeMedsNow. Dr. Reynard has treated thousands of patients with contact lens complications, including severe infections and corneal transplants.

Dr. Rice is an Assistant Professor at Purdue University, USA. He graduated with a Ph.D. from the University of the West of Scotland in 2014 under the mentorship of Dr. Fiona Henriquez-Mui. His graduate studies were elucidating biochemical drug targets in Acanthamoeba. The Rice Research Group are focused on the discovery and development of anti-amoebic compounds and developing more rapid, sensitive, and specific diagnostics for diseases caused by pathogenic free-living amoebae.

Neil Lagali is Full Professor of Experimental Ophthalmology at Linköping University in Sweden. He leads a team of researchers focusing on acquired and genetic corneal and diseases. He has a special interest in the diagnosis and epidemiology of infectious keratitis, and has been using in vivo confocal microscopy for over 20 years to diagnose Acanthamoeba keratitis cases. His recent interests in this area are in the refinement of diagnostics using artificial intelligence based tools and expert based consensus.