Dr. Patrica Era Bath was born on 04 November 1942 in Harlem, New York. She was a trailblazing ophthalmologist, inventor, humanitarian and laser scientist who helped improve eye health for underserved communities all over the world. Dr. Bath invented laserphaco, a type of cataract surgery that uses laser to vaporize cataracts. This device and procedure performed all the steps necessary for successful cataract removal including making the incision, destroying the lens and vacuuming out the fractured pieces.
She’s also recognized as being the first Black Woman and physician to receive a medical patent (U.S. Patent No. 4,744,360). She also became the first woman member of the Jules Stein Eye Institute, first woman to lead a post-graduate training program in ophthalmology, and first woman elected to the honorary staff of UCLA Medical Center. While at UCLA Jules Stein Eye Institute, she established the Kerotoprosthesis Program (KPRO) to provide advanced surgical treatment for blind patients. KPRO is still going today and as a result thousands of patients have had their eyesight restored with this innovative technology.
The holder of 5 patents, she also founded the non-profit American Institute for the Prevention of Blindness in Washington, D.C. She was also the first African American woman to serve on staff as a surgeon at the UCLA Medical Center as well as a resident in ophthalmology at New York University. After completing her residency at NYU, Dr. Bath began a Corneal fellowship program at Columbia University. This residency focused on corneal transplantation and keratoprosthesis surgery (1973-1974).
In 1983, Dr. Bath was appointed Chairof the KING-DREW-UCLA Ophthalmology Residency Program, becoming the first woman in the US to head an ophthalmology residency program. In 1986, Bath elected to take a sabbatical from clinical and administrative responsibilitiesand concentrate on research. She resigned her position as chair of ophthalmology and followed her research pursuits as visiting professor at centers of excellence in France, England and Germany.
In France, she served as visiting professor at the Rothschild Eye Institute of Paris with Director, Daniele Aron-Rosa. In England, she served as visiting professor with Professor Emmony at the Loughborough Institute of Technology. In Germany, she served as visiting professor at the University of Free Berlin and the laser medical center.
Laser Scientist
In 1993, she retired from UCLA, which subsequently elected her the first woman on its honorary staff. Dr. Bath passed away on 30 May 2019 at the age of 76.
Dr. Bath has lectured internationally and authored over 100 papers.
References:
Patricia Bath, Laserphaco Cataract Surgery; https://www.invent.org/inductees/patricia-bath
About Patricia Bath; https://drpatriciabath.com/about/
