Dr. patricia bath biography

BMJ : l Ophthalmologist, Dr. Bath first defined the term community ophthalmology in her presentation to the American Public Health Association meeting in Miami, Florida. May Greenhaven Publishing LLC. Patricia Bath's genius helped eye doctors". Philadelphia Tribune. February 12, Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States. April 3, Patricia Bath remembers inventing the laser phaco probe pt.

The History Makers. November 29, Retrieved March 21, Bath, US Patent 4,Apparatus for ablating and removing cataract lensesissued May 17, filed December 18, What's the Big Idea? Salariya Publishers. Bath, January ". George's University. Archived from the original on September 2, Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation. McClatchy-Tribune Business News.

March 9, Archived from the original on March 9, Patricia Bath — Laserphaco". Disruptor Awards. January 19, Virtual 39th Annual Charity and Scholarship Benefit. Patricia Bath". Patricia Bath — Just another WordPress site. The Shadow League. January 15, Raab"Hunter College. Retrieved September 28, Retrieved January 13, Cherry Lake Publishing.

Patricia Bath ". External links [ edit ]. Bath conceived her laserphaco device inpublished her first paper in and had her first U. Her minimally invasive device was used in Europe and Asia by When Bath interned in ophthalmology, she was one of the first to document that Black patients had double the rate of glaucoma and realized that the high prevalence of blindness among Black patients was due to a lack of access to ophthalmic care.

In a seminal paper inshe proposed the discipline of Community Ophthalmology, combining public health, community medicine, and clinical and daycare programs to test vision and screen threatening eye conditions in historically underserved communities. She then attended Howard University to pursue a medical degree. Bath graduated with honors from Howard in and accepted an internship at Harlem Hospital shortly afterward.

The following year, she began a dr. patricia bath biography in ophthalmology at Columbia University as the first Black person at the school to train in the field. Through her studies there, she discovered that Black Americans were twice as likely to suffer from blindness than other patients to which she attended, and eight times more likely to develop glaucoma.

Her research led to her development of a community ophthalmology system, which increased the amount of eye care given to people who were unable to afford treatment. Bath completed her residency in ophthalmology at New York University in Bath moved to California in to work as an assistant professor of surgery at both Charles R. InBath began working on her most well-known invention: the Laserphaco Probe.

Harnessing laser technology, the device, completed increated a less painful and more precise treatment of cataracts. She received a patent for the Laserphaco Probe inbecoming the first African American female doctor to receive a patent for a medical purpose. She also secured patents in Japan, Canada, and Europe. With her Laserphaco Probe, Bath was able to help restore the sight of individuals who had been blind for more than 30 years.

The device is used worldwide and has improved the vision of millions of people. In total, Bath held five U. I said it was inappropriate and succeeded in getting acceptable office space. I decided I was just going to do my work. Despite university policies extolling equality and condemning discrimination, Professor Bath experienced numerous instances of sexism and racism throughout her tenure at both UCLA and Drew.

Determined that her scientific endeavors not be obstructed by the "glass ceilings" in the US, she took her research abroad to Europe. At those institutions she achieved her "personal best" in research and laser science, the fruits of which are evidenced by her laser patents on eye surgery. Bath's work and interests, however, always went beyond the confines of a university.

Inshe and three other colleagues founded the American Institute for the Prevention of Blindness, an organization whose mission is to protect, preserve, and restore the gift of sight. The AIPB is based on the principle that eyesight is a basic human right and that primary eye care must be made available to all people, everywhere, regardless of their economic status.

Much of the work of the AIPB is done though ophthalmic assistants, who are trained in programs at major universities. The institute supports global initiatives to provide newborn infants with protective anti-infection eye drops, to ensure that children who are malnourished receive vitamin A supplements essential for vision, and to vaccinate children against diseases such as measles that can lead to blindness.

On these travels she has performed surgery, taught new medical techniques, donated equipment, lectured, met with colleagues, and witnessed the disparity in health services available in industrial and developing countries. Bath was also a laser scientist and inventor.

Dr. patricia bath biography

When she first conceived of the device inher idea was more advanced than the technology available at the time. It took her nearly five years to complete the research and testing needed to make it work and apply for a patent. Today the device is use worldwide. With the keratoprosthesis device, Dr.