Szilárd Kiss, MD

Szilárd Kiss, MD, FASRS received his undergraduate degree with honors from Columbia College and medical school training at Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians & Surgeons. He then moved to Boston for his ophthalmology residency and surgical vitreoretinal fellowship at Harvard Medical School and the Massachusetts Eye & Ear Infirmary. Szilárd was recruited to the Department of Ophthalmology at Weill Cornell in 2008, where his is now the Bob and Dolores Hope - Robert M. Ellsworth, M.D. Distinguished Professor in Ophthalmology, Professor of Genetic Medicine, and the Chief of the Retina Service. Szilárd is the past Chair of the General Faculty Council, where he now serves as Senior Councilor. Additionally, Szilárd is the Associate Dean of Clinical Compliance at Weill Cornell, overseeing all healthcare related compliance and regulatory matters at Cornell University.

Szilárd’s research career started as an undergraduate at Columbia, where, in conjunction with the NASA and the Department of Defense, he was part of a team that evaluated the implications of microgravity on early developmental patterning with experiments launched on the space shuttles Discovery and Columbia. Since coming to Weill Cornell, Szilárd has garnered an international reputation as a pioneer, leader and a prominent clinical expert who has had a significant impact on the practice of retina. Szilárd has authored over 350 publications (23,459 citations on Google Scholar, with an h-index of 77), given over 300 invited lectureships worldwide, and serves on the Editorial Board and as a scientific reviewer to numerous journals. In addition to his scientific efforts, Szilárd is a renowned medical and surgical vitreoretinal specialist; his clinical practice draws patients from all regions of the world.

When the international publication, The Ophthalmologist, selected Szilárd as one of the Top 40 Under 40 world-wide, they cited his work on ‘…retinal imaging, ocular gene therapy, novel therapeutic targets for ocular neovascularization, and genetic markers for retinal diseases.’ In parallel with this selection, Szilárd was chosen to be part of the charter class ‘…of significant living and posthumous contributors to our field…’ and inducted into The Retina Hall of Fame. Szilárd was the youngest inductee, recognized for ‘a lifetime of…innovation and dedication to patient care, research, education, and leadership.’ Additionally, Szilárd was named by Ocular Surgery News: Retina as one of the 150 Innovators in Medical and Surgical Retina worldwide, ‘…a compilation of specialists who either work to educate their colleagues or innovate by developing novel technologies and techniques to advance the specialty.’