Arthur G. Fernandes, MPH, PhD, is a scientist whose work bridges clinical ophthalmology, vision science, and public health. He earned his PhD in Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences from the Federal University of São Paulo, where he evaluated the prevalence and causes of visual impairment in the Amazon region, and his MPH in Epidemiology from Tulane University, where he focused on the incidence and survival of retinoblastoma in the United States.

Dr. Fernandes has more than a decade of experience in ophthalmic research, with expertise in population-based epidemiology and clinical sciences focused on pediatric eye health, ocular oncology, and glaucoma. Most recently, he served as a Postdoctoral Research Associate at the University of Calgary, where his work integrated clinical assessment, molecular biology, and epidemiology to investigate mechanisms of vision loss. He has authored more than 70 peer-reviewed publications.

He is a member of the Vision Loss Expert Group and the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology. His global collaborations include large-scale studies of children’s vision, Indigenous eye health, and translational research on glaucoma. Dr. Fernandes has also been actively involved in community outreach programs in Brazil and Canada, including vision screening initiatives for underserved populations, and he is eager to expand similar efforts in the Houston area.

At the University of Houston, Dr. Fernandes joins as an Assistant Professor with a joint appointment in the College of Optometry and the College of Medicine, where he will teach and mentor students while advancing research on the epidemiology of eye diseases. His program aims to generate evidence-based data integrated with public health approaches to inform strategies that reduce the burden of vision impairment and blindness locally and globally.