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Lee and Lee honored with prestigious Cogan Award

Researchers recognized for impactful contributions to vision science, ophthalmology research

June 26, 2026

Aaron Y. Lee, MD, the Arthur W. Stickle Distinguished Professor of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences and head of the John F. Hardesty, MD Department of Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences at WashU Medicine, and Cecilia Lee, MD, the Jane Hardesty Poole Distinguished Professor, have been honored with the Cogan Award in recognition of their impactful contributions to vision science and ophthalmic research.

This prestigious award, presented by the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO), highlights exceptional work that propels the field forward through innovative methods and collaborative leadership. Their recognition underscores WashU Medicine’s leadership in combining clinical excellence, innovative research and collaborative science to address some of the most challenging questions in vision care.

Lee and Lee harness large-scale data, machine learning and advanced analytics to elucidate complex patterns in eye disease and vision loss, while also leveraging the eye as a non-invasive window into systemic health — a field known as oculomics. Their research emphasizes equitable access to data and analytic tools, ensuring that discoveries benefit diverse populations and accelerate real-world translational impact.

Read more on the department’s website.

About WashU Medicine

WashU Medicine is a global leader in academic medicine, including biomedical research, patient care and educational programs with 3,100 faculty. Its National Institutes of Health (NIH) research funding portfolio is the second largest among U.S. medical schools and has grown 78% since 2016. Together with institutional investment, WashU Medicine commits over $1.6 billion annually to basic and clinical research innovation and training. Its faculty practice is consistently among the top five in the country, with more than 2,550 faculty physicians practicing at 200 locations. WashU Medicine physicians exclusively staff Barnes-Jewish and St. Louis Children’s hospitals — the academic hospitals of BJC HealthCare — and Siteman Cancer Center, a partnership between BJC HealthCare and WashU Medicine and the only National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center in Missouri and southern Illinois. WashU Medicine physicians also treat patients at BJC’s community hospitals in our region. With a storied history in MD/PhD training, WashU Medicine recently dedicated $100 million to scholarships and curriculum renewal for its medical students, and is home to top-notch training programs in every medical subspecialty as well as physical therapy, occupational therapy, and audiology and communications sciences.