Dr. Kokame is Chief of Ophthalmology and Clinical Professor at the University of Hawaii School of Medicine. He is director of the Hawaii Macula and Retina Institue with over 100 publications and over 70 randomized clinical trials and a Visiting Professor Lecture series that has featured the best speakers in retina in the world, including Asia, the United States and Europe.

He received his M.D. from the UCLA School of Medicine, completed ophthalmology residency at the Jules Stein Eye Institute/UCLA, and vitreoretinal surgery fellowship at the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute in Miami. He received his business degree in organizational development (Master of Medical Management) from the USC Marshall School of Business. His sabattical was at Moorfields Eye Hospital in London with Professor Alan Bird and Zdenek Gregor in 2000.

Dr. Kokame is a member of the American Academy of Ophthalmology (Honor Award - 1999, Secretariat Award - 2008, Senior Achievement Award – 2014), Macula Society, Retina Society, and American Society of Retina Specialists (ASRS) (Honor Award – 2001; Senior Honor Award – 2003). He was admitted to the prestigious American Ophthalmological Society in 2015 after acceptance of his thesis on multimodality diagnostic imaging of polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy, and high dose ranibizumab for the treatment of polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy.

Dr. Kokame’s chief research interests are macular hole surgery, management of surgical complications of cataract surgery, exudative macular degeneration, polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy, new pharmacologic development in retinal diseases, and the newest imaging techniques for macular disease. He has delivered over 200 lectures throughout the USA, Asia, Europe and the Middle East with over 100 invited lectures.

Editorial Board
Terms of Appointment: September 2020 - August 2022;  September 2022 - August 2024