Professor Noemi Lois awarded Edinburgh King James IV Professorship by The Royal College of Surgeons

Professor Noemi Lois was specifically recognised for her work on the DIAMONDS clinical trial. Image courtesy of Queen's University Belfast.

At the 2024 Royal College of Ophthalmologists (RCOphth) Annual Congress, Noemi Lois, MD, PhD, FRCS(Ed), FRCOphth, was awarded The Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh King James IV Professorship. She is Professor of Ophthalmology at Queen’s University Belfast, where she leads a preclinical and clinical research programme focused on diabetic retinopathy.¹ In a news release, the award was described as the most senior academic award made by the College. Professor Lois was honoured for her many contributions to retinal surgery, specifically as chief investigator of the Diabetic Macular Oedema aNd Diode Subthreshold micropulse laser (DIAMONDS) multicentre clinical trial.

"I am thoroughly delighted to receive this very precious award, which means a lot to me,” Professor Lois said in the news release.¹ “The Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh generously funded a great deal of experimental research I undertook while a full time Consultant Ophthalmologist in Aberdeen and I will be always indebted to them for their support.”

Professor Lois joined Queen’s University Belfast in 2013, where she is a Clinical Professor of Ophthalmology in the Wellcome-Wolfson Institute for Experimental Medicine. She is also an Honorary Consultant Ophthalmologist and Vitreoretinal Surgeon at the Belfast Health and Social Care Trust.

The DIAMONDS trial, funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research, recruited 266 UK participants with diabetic macular oedema (DME). Patients were treated with a novel macular laser treatment, subthreshold micropulse macular laser. The treatment was found to be as effective as standard macular lasers for preserving sight in patients with DME. Professor Lois is also leading a large clinical trial which aims to introduce a new alternative technique for monitoring DME and proliferative diabetic retinopathy.²

References

1. Queen’s academic awarded prestigious Professorship. News release. Queen's University Belfast. Published 21 May, 2024. Accessed 22 May, 2024. https://www.qub.ac.uk/News/Allnews/2024/QueensacademicawardedprestigiousProfessorship.html

2. Professor Noemi Lois, Clinical Professor of Ophthalmology. Queen's University Belfast. Accessed 22 May, 2024. https://www.qub.ac.uk/News/find-an-expert/ProfessorNoemiLois.html