Ameenat Lola Solebo

About Ameenat Lola Solebo

NIHR Clinician Scientist (Associate Professor) and Honorary Consultant Paediatric Ophthalmologist at the UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, London, UK

What is your proudest professional achievement?

I’m proudest of the positive impact my research has made on healthcare policy and practice, providing an evidence base which guides the care of children with or at risk of eye and vision disorders

Outside of ophthalmology, what makes you happy?

The thing that makes me happiest is putting on shows with my ridiculous daughters for my very tolerant husband. Our last extravaganza was “Indigenous people of magic land,” which involved face masks and a song composed by our seven-year-old, which was high-pitched, loud, and long. So long.

Why is it important to celebrate women in the field this way?

We’ve seen a widening and hardening of pre-existing gender-based disparities in all professional fields during the pandemic. We need to be aware of ongoing challenges facing women in ophthalmology, which include competing family responsibilities, and implicit and subconscious biases in recruitment and career advancement. In the face of these difficulties, it becomes increasingly important that we celebrate the achievements of Women in Ophthalmology so that we inspire others – in the same way that we were inspired by our female mentors and peers.