Women of Interest – Patricia Bath

Patricia Bath was born November 4, 1942, in Harlem, New York. Dr. Bath invented the Laserphaco which is a device and technique used in cataract surgery. In 1988, Bath received a patent for the Laserphaco. She was the first female ophthalmologist appointed to the faculty of the University of California, in the Los Angeles School of Medicine Jules Stein Eye Institute. It was not easy for her to go to medical school; at the time, blacks were not accepted into medical school. While attending high school, Bath applied for, and won, a National Science Foundation Scholarship. She then did a research project at Yeshiva University and Harlem Hospital Center on the connection between cancer, nutrition, and stress. In 1968 she received her doctoral degree from Howard University College of Medicine. She did her residency in ophthalmology at New York University. Dr. Bath has authored over 100 papers as well as lecturing internationally. In 1988 Dr. Bath was the first African-American female doctor to receive a patent for a medical purpose.

Further information on Dr. Patricia Bath can be found at the following websites:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patricia_Bath
https://cfmedicine.nlm.nih.gov/physicians/biography_26.html
http://www.blackpast.org/aah/bath-patricia-1942