Ophthalmologist Patricia Bath, MD, to be Inducted Into The National Inventors Hall of Fame

Since its founding in 1973, The National Inventors Hall of Fame (NIHF) has inducted more than 600 inventors. NIHF will be inducting its first two African American women into its 2022 class, ophthalmologist Patricia Bath, MD, a pioneer in cataract surgery, and engineer Marian Croak. Dr. Bath, whose work was highlighted in this bulletin earlier in the year, invented the laserphaco, used in cataract removal. This “minimally invasive device” makes an incision in the eye to facilitate breaking down and “vacuuming out fragments” of the damaged lens prior to its being removed. According to NIHF, Dr. Bath’s work “forever changed cataract surgery.” These two inductees join 48 women and 40 African American men who have been previously included in the Hall of Fame. Read more about their achievements in the article in DiversityInc: Engineer Marian Croak and Ophthalmologist Patricia Bath Will Become First Black Women Inducted into The National Inventors Hall of Fame.