Clara C. Chan

About Clara C. Chan

Assistant Professor, University of Toronto Department of Ophthalmology, Medical Director, The Eye Bank of Canada (Ontario Division), President, Canadian Cornea, External Disease & Refractive Surgery Society, Toronto, Canada

Outside of ophthalmology, what makes you happy?

Spending quality time with my husband and son makes me happy, especially when we can return to routine international travel.

Why is it important that we celebrate women in the field with this list?

Oftentimes, women do great work and remain under the radar, not wanting to draw excessive attention to themselves or to their achievements. Celebrating women ophthalmologists this way allows their hard work, success, and accomplishments to be properly recognized in a public forum. For those who are early on in their career or even mid-career, seeing this group of 100 women as role models could be the motivation they need to strive for the goals that they set for themselves. 

What can be done to make the field more diverse?

To make ophthalmology more diverse, it is important that we spotlight diverse role models in the field and encourage everyone to set diversity as a goal. Established ophthalmologists can advise, advocate, and mentor trainees by guiding them towards opportunities and by providing support and encouragement.