On July 7, 2025, the Chinese Society of Medical Genetics of the Chinese Medical Association held its leadership election conference in Beijing, establishing its 11th Committee. Academician Yang Zhenglin, Professor from Sichuan Provincial People's Hospital, was elected Chair. Professor Xu Xiangmin from Southern Medical University, the outgoing Chair, assumed the role of Immediate Past Chair. Academician Dennis Lo (Lo Yuk-Ming), President of The Chinese University of Hong Kong, was elected Chair-Elect. Professor Zhang Qingjiong, Executive Deputy Director of the State Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology and Professor in the Department of Pediatric and Genetic Eye diseases at Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Sun Yat-sen University, was elected Vice Chair.

Profile of Professor Zhang Qingjiong

Professor Zhang completed his medical degree at the Tongji Medical University in 1985 and obtained his Ph.D. in Ophthalmology from Sun Yat-sen University of Medical Sciences (SUMS) in 1990. He has worked at Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center since graduation, with overseas research experiences in Japan (1993–1995) and the United States (2001–2005). He received the State Council Special Allowance in 1994 and became the youngest full professor at SUMS in 1996. In 2007, he was awarded the National Science Fund for Distinguished Young Scholars and promoted to Professor Level 2 / Chief Physician Level 1. He served as Deputy Director (Vice President) of Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center and Director of the Eye Research Institute from 2009 to 2017. He is currently Executive Deputy Director of the State Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology.

For 35 years, Professor Zhang has dedicated his career to the clinical management and genetic defects for pediatric eye diseases and genetic eye disorders. He previously served as Head of the Specialty and Discipline Leader. He established the globally largest repository of pedigrees with genetic eye diseases, enabling a series of research findings. He contributed to the identification of 18 novel genetic eye diseases and / or causative genes. He proposed and systematically studied a new subtype of high myopia, Early-Onset High Myopia (eoHM), identifying multiple myopia loci, common disease-causing genes (including ARR3), and the panoramic view of the genetic profile. He systematically analyzed the mutation spectra, pathogenic variant characteristics, and phenotypic features of over 300 genes for genetic eye diseases. He established China's first clinical genetic testing platform for precision diagnosis of genetic eye diseases.

His research has secured serial fundings from the National 863 Program, National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC), Fok Ying Tung Education Foundation Fund for Young Teachers, and Guangdong Natural Science Foundation, among others. He has published 336 papers in professional journals (including 237 SCI-indexed papers, h-index 46) such as JAMA Ophthalmology, American Journal of Human Genetics (AJHG), Brain, Nature Communications, EBioMedicine, American Journal of Ophthalmology (AJO), British Journal of Ophthalmology (BJO), and Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science (IOVS). He has been recognized as a Top 2% Most-Cited Scientist Worldwide (both career-long and annual impact) and named a Highly Cited Chinese Researcher (Clinical Medicine) for five consecutive years.

He previously served as Chair of the Biochemistry & Molecular Biology (BI) Section at ARVO (Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology) and is an ARVO Fellow (FARVO). His past roles include Vice Chair of the Ophthalmology Committee under the Chinese Society of Medical Genetics of the Chinese Medical Association, Member of the Basic Research Development Committee of the Chinese Ophthalmological Society, Chair of the Medical Genetics Branch of Guangdong Medical Association, and President of the China Eye Genetics Consortium. His current positions include:

• Vice Chair, Chinese Society of Medical Genetics, Chinese Medical Association
• Standing Committee Member & Head of the Clinical Genetics Group, Medical Genetic Physicians Branch, Chinese Medical Doctor Association
• Vice Chair, Basic and Clinical Translation Committee, Ophthalmologist Branch, Chinese Medical Doctor Association
• Editor-in-Chief, Molecular Vision