PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — The first list of the world's top 100 women in ophthalmology has several names with local ties.
Ten women on the list are either Wills Eye Hospital faculty or alumnae.
Dr. Julia Haller is the hospital's Ophthalmologist-in-Chief, a retina surgeon, scientist, wife and mother of five. She hopes a list of the top women shows young mothers that hard work pays off, and doors that used to be closed to females are now open.
Still, she sees first hand that she's a woman in a male-dominated field.
"It makes you stand out a little more because you are more different. You may therefore get blamed more as well as applauded more," said Haller.
"I don't have an opinion about whether it makes it easier. I think it's made me be on my toes because I realize I'm under more scrutiny that my male colleagues."
She added that when you're a trailblazer, it helps to have a good sense of humor and not take things too personally.
"All surgical specialties are traditionally a man's world," Haller said.
"I was the first female chief resident at Johns Hopkins when I was in training down there. When I took over here at Wills, I was one of only three female chairs of ophthalmology departments in the United States, and I'm still the only female chair that there's ever been in the history of the top three institutions in the country."
She said these lists may appear to be only symbolic, but she believes recognizing women and minorities encourages others to think about careers in fields they might not have considered.
The All-Women Power List can be seen here.