Women Pioneers at Wilmer
March is Women’s History Month. The Wilmer Eye Institute would like to recognize women who have contributed to both the institute and the field of medicine.
Gertrude Rand, Ph.D.
Gertrude Rand, Ph.D., who in 1927 became the first female faculty at Wilmer Eye Institute. Her work emphasized the development and standardization of arc perimetry and color vision testing.
Laura Lane, M.D.
In 1927, Laura Lane, M.D., joined the Wilmer staff. Her work with treating different conditions with small dosages of radium is what drew William Holland Wilmer, M.D. to her, specifically her management of corneal manifestations because of recurring pterygiums.
Louise L. Sloan, Ph.D.
Louise L. Sloan, Ph.D., center, who in 1930 established and directed the Wilmer Laboratory of Physiological Optics.
Betty Constantine
Betty Constantine, back row, center, who in 1937 became Wilmer’s first woman ophthalmology resident.
Anne Coleman, M.D., Ph.D. and Tamara Fountain, M.D.
In 2020 and 2021, the American Academy of Ophthalmology named two Wilmer-trained women — Anne Coleman, M.D., Ph.D. and Tamara Fountain, M.D. — as president of the organization. Fountain was the first African American woman to hold this position.
