Bonnielin Swenor

About Bonnielin Swenor

Associate Professor at the Johns Hopkins Wilmer Eye Institute and Director of the Johns Hopkins Disability Health Research Center, Baltimore, Maryland, USA

Why is it important to celebrate women in ophthalmology with the 2021 Power List?

Celebrating the accomplishments of the many outstanding women in ophthalmology serves to advance our entire field. Efforts such as this, which aim to increase the representation and inclusion of women in ophthalmology, are not only necessary to achieve diversity, but are needed to address the persistent gender disparities in eye health.

What can be done to make the field more diverse?

As Ruth Bader Ginsburg stated, “Women belong in all places where decisions are being made.” Women must be included and valued across career pathways, from trainees to leaders. It is all of our responsibility to ensure diverse perspectives are “at the table” where decisions are being made, and everyday actions are the starting point towards achieving true equity and inclusion.

What is your proudest professional achievement?

My proudest professional moment was defending my thesis and completing my doctoral degree. For many reasons, that goal seemed unattainable for someone like me as there were many, many barriers along the way. While that was almost a decade ago, I often reflect on the feeling of accomplishing something that felt impossible and remind myself to never think anything is out of reach again.