Purnima Patel

About Purnima Patel

Associate Professor of Ophthalmology at Emory University, USA

What is your proudest professional achievement?

Educating and promoting the need for more diversity, equity, and inclusion in ophthalmology for us to thrive in the future. I hope this will be my legacy.

Outside of ophthalmology what makes you happy?

My nephew and two nieces. They are my world.

What needs to be done to make the field more diverse?

We must be intentional in our approach regarding DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion). Each institution and practice should evaluate the entire life cycle of an employee and determine where we can place infrastructural processes in place to reduce the impact of unconscious bias and promote DEI. We want ophthalmology to be a field where people don't just survive, but truly thrive.