Prof Dr. Duan is an expert member of the Chinese Medical Association, a member of the Blindness Prevention Group, former member of the National Blindness Prevention Technical Guidance Group, and former Youth Committee and Glaucoma Group member of the Chinese Medical Association Ophthalmology Branch (serving for three consecutive terms). In 1993, he designed the Hunan Aqueous Drainage device (HAD), obtaining a National Utility Model Patent in 1996. He pioneered its use in China to treat refractory glaucoma, filling a gap in domestic medical practice. In 2004, he spent over six months as a visiting scholar at the University of Wisconsin Medical School in the U.S., focusing on gene therapy for glaucoma. Later, he furthered his studies in clinical research and skills during a six-month visit to Wills Eye Hospital at Thomas Jefferson University. Professor Duan has led four projects funded by the National Natural Science Foundation, one Hunan Province Innovation Platform Project, and one Hunan Province Key R&D Project. Additionally, he has supervised a project under the Ministry of Education's New Century Talent Program and a doctoral grant-funded research project. He has led or participated in over 10 provincial and departmental research projects, nearly 10 multi-centre drug clinical trials, and contributed to the national “11th Five-Year Plan” project for establishing and promoting an evidence-based glaucoma diagnosis and treatment system. He has published 163 research papers, with 61 indexed in SCI journals. Professor Duan has authored one book, co-authored three, and contributed to 12 additional books. His accolades include four Hunan Province Science and Technology Progress Awards (2nd and 3rd Place), one Utility Model Patent, seven Invention Patents, and three Software Copyrights. As a mentor, he has supervised the completion of postdoctoral research for three scholars, as well as the graduation of 20 doctoral students and 22 master’s students. Currently, he serves as the Vice President of the Hunan Regional Division of the Aier Eye Hospital Group and is a doctoral supervisor. He previously held the position of Deputy Director of the Ophthalmology Department at Xiangya Second Hospital, Central South University.