Patricia Era Bath
Personal Information
Born: 1942
Died: 2019
Country of Birth: USA
Nationality: USA
Ethnicity: Black
Education
1964, BA Chemistry, Hunter College; 1968, Medical Degree, Howard University
Professional Life
Field of Study: Ophthalmology
Institution/Corporation: UCLA
Degrees & Memberships: Member: American Institute for the Prevention of blindness; Student National Medical Association
Awards & Achievements
Awards: 2014, Howard University Charter Day Award for Distinguished Achievement in Opthamologhy & Medicine; 2017, Medscape 1 of 12 Women Physicians Who Changed the Course of American Medicine; 2017, Time Magazine s First Women Who Are Changing the World; 1960, Mademoiselle Magazine Merit Award; 1973, Howard University Pioneer in Academic Medicine; 1995, NAACP Legal Defense Fund Black Woman Achievement Award; 2000, Smithsonian Museum s Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention & Innovations Award; 2001, American Medical Women s Association Hall of Fame; 2006, Tubman s Shiela Award; 2012, Tribeca Film Festival Disruptive Innovation Award; 2013, Association of Black Women Physicians Lifetime Achievement Award for Opthamology Contributions; 2014, Alpha Kappa Alpha Presidential Award for Health & Medical Sciences; 2017, Hunter College Hall of Fame; 2018, NY Academy of Medicine John Stearns Medal for Distinguished Contributions in Clinical Practice; 2018, Alliance for Aging Research: Silver Innovator Award; 2021, National Inventors Hall of Fame
Achievements: first female African-american to complete residency in opthamology 1973; first African-American doctor to receive a medical patent, 1988; first female faculty member in Department of Opthamology at UCLA Jules Stein Eye Institute, 1975; co-founded American Institute for the Prevention of Blindness, 1976; first female to chair an opthamology residency program; first woman elected to honorary staff of UCLA Medical Center; co-founded the Student National Medical Association & was its first female president, 1965
1st female member of Jules Stein Eye Institute, to lead a post-graduate training program in ophthalmology, & elected to the honorary staff of UCLA Medical Center
Discovered & invented laserphaco, a new device & technique for cataract surgery
1st African-american female in the US to receive a medical patent (1988)
Founded the non-profit American Institute for the Prevention of Blindness in DC
1st African-American to serve as a resident in ophthalmology at NYU (1973)
By the time she reached High School, she was a NSF scholar
her cancer research earned a front page feature in the NY Times
Studied the connections between cancer, nutrition, & stress, concluding cancer itself was a catabolic disease & tumors growth was a symptom
Discovered a mathematical equation that could be used to predict cancer cell growth
Co-founder of Student National Medical Association; 1965 was its 1st female president
Summer 1968, organized & led Howard University medical students in providing volunteer health care services for the Poor People's Campaign in Resurrection City in DC
Held 5 patents