Cynthia X. Qian is an associate professor in the Department of Ophthalmology at the University of Montreal. She is chief of the retina service and program director for the retina fellowship program.  

Dr. Qian completed medical school at McGill University and residency at the University of Montreal where she was chief resident. During this time, she received the Forces Avenir Personality of the Year award for her humanitarian work. She completed dual fellowships in surgical retina at the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary at Harvard Medical School in Boston and in inherited retinal diseases at the Kellogg Eye Center, University of Michigan.  

She is the chair of Royal College Retina AFC committee, and the CPD Council Chair for the Canadian Ophthalmological Society. She has also been voted as “The Young Professional of the Year” by the Young Chamber of Commerce of Montreal, one of Canada’s Top 40 under 40 in 2019 and one of the 5 early-career physicians of the year by the Provincial Collège des Médecins in 2021.  

Dr. Qian’s research interests are in pediatric retinal diseases, complex retinal surgical techniques, new therapies in inherited retinal diseases, and clinical trials in age-related macular degeneration and diabetic retinopathy. 

Financial disclosure: I have/had an affiliation (financial or otherwise) with a for-profit and/or a not-for-profit organization:

• Abbvie, Apellis, Bayer, Novartis, Roche