Dr Rita S. Sitorus

Dr. Rita S. Sitorus is currently a professor, senior consultant, and senior researcher in Pediatric Ophthalmology at the Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Indonesia, Dr. Cipto Mangunkusumo Hospital, Jakarta, Indonesia. She spent about 5 years in Germany, Japan, and the Netherlands, taking fellowships in pediatric ophthalmology and pediatric orthoptics, as well as performing research on clinical and molecular genetics of eye diseases, until she completed her PhD degree at Vrije University Medical Center, Amsterdam. She underwent short post-doctoral research at the Molecular Genetic Laboratory, University of Giessen, Germany. 

Her passion for pediatric ophthalmology problems has encouraged her to publish remarkable articles in her field of interest, in addition to her participation in the International Retinoblastoma Staging Working Group and her establishment of ROP-related blindness prevention programs and strategies in Indonesia and Asia, as well as Childhood Blindness in Indonesia. She was invited to speak in an instructional course for capacity building of ROP screening and treatment programs at the national level in the Philippines and Bangladesh, sponsored by ORBIS. 

She joined as a Council member of the International Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus Society (IPOSS) and was the former Chair of the Indonesia Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus Society (Ina-POSS). 

At present, she is a board member of the Asia Pacific Pediatric Society of Ophthalmology and Strabismus (APSPOS) and a member of the International Society of Ocular Oncology. 

At the national level, she is currently appointed as an expert in the Verification Committee for measles and rubella (Congenital Rubella Syndrome) National Program, Ministry of Health Republic Indonesia. She leads the “National ROP Screening and Treatment Program in Indonesia,” with the main result being the development of National Guidelines for ROP screening and treatment in premature babies across the country. 

She received the Achievement Award from the Asia Pacific Academy of Ophthalmology in 2013. Her work in writing includes being a former Section Editor in Pediatric Ophthalmology of the Asia Pacific Journal of Ophthalmology (APJO), as well as being an external reviewer for several international scientific journals. She was awarded as the 6th most productive researcher of Universitas Indonesia (SINTA, 2020). Her dedication to research led her to become a member of the Humboldtian researcher family worldwide, former chair of the Health Research Ethics Committee, Supervisory Board member of the Forum for Indonesian Recognized Research Ethics Committee, and a member of the Global Forum for Research Ethics & Integrity (GFREI), an open, global collaborative forum of individuals from 30+ countries focused on research ethics and research integrity; contributing public comments on policy drafts (NIH, WHO, etc.) and participating in global seminars on research ethics.