Preeya K. Gupta

About Preeya K. Gupta

Associate Professor of Ophthalmology, Cornea, Cataract, and Refractive Surgery at Duke University Eye Center, Durham, North Carolina, USA

Outside of ophthalmology, what makes you happy?

I love doing new things that have nothing to do with work. In the past year or two, I rekindled my love for tennis and golf, and even started taking piano and singing lessons. Remembering to nurture our spirit and developing skills outside of work is just as important as furthering our career.

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

There are so many inspirational ophthalmologists that I have interacted with, both male and female, over the years. Celebrating women in this format is a recognition that we have so many talented women in our field, and we, as a field, should be proud of that. Disparities in medicine have been long debated and analyzed, but what propels our field is a collective spirit and attitude of supportiveness and collaboration that lifts our specialty in total.

What can be done to make the field more diverse? 

I believe we need to continue to support a culture that values collaboration and supportiveness of our colleagues. Diversity is part of that, and with these core values being upheld, we will naturally increase diversity in all ways. I hope that one day we as a field expect diversity as a “norm” and only notice when it is not present. We aren’t far, but it takes a collective effort to make this a priority and help our field grow together, rather than apart.