Dr. Lalwani is a vitreoretinal surgeon at Rocky Mountain Retina Associates in Boulder, Colorado.

1. Please share with us your background.

I grew up at the foot of the Rocky Mountains in Boulder, Colorado, as the eldest daughter of Indian immigrants. I knew very early on that I wanted to pursue medicine and even shadowed a pediatrician at age 12. It is funny because, despite Indian stereotypes, I did not have any physicians in my family. I have three siblings, who are all very different: one is a restauranteur in New York, one is a lawyer, and one works in user interface research at Meta.

I double-majored in chemistry and Japanese at Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts. Following that, I worked in the biotech industry, at which time I met my husband. I then attended medical school at Drexel University in Philadelphia, followed by ophthalmology residency at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland and a surgical retina fellowship at the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute in Miami. After fellowship, I joined the Bascom Palmer faculty, where I was involved with clinical trials and patient care. Ultimately, I decided to move back to Boulder to start my own practice.

Since returning to Colorado, I have taken back up the outdoor activities I loved as a kid—skiing, tennis, and hiking—and have also enjoyed practicing yoga and traveling with my husband and three daughters.

2. What is the main focus of your efforts outside of clinical care?

I was lucky to get involved with the Vit-Buckle Society (VBS) not long after its founding. VBS focuses on retina specialists who are early in their careers, when the learning curve is steep. When VBS launched, the idea that we could learn from each other’s mistakes was novel; however, as an early attending, I fully supported the concept. This practice helped greatly to flatten my personal learning curve and hopefully did the same for many others.

I became much more involved with VBS when we launched a full-day meeting, and I was honored to be present at the start of this dynamic, cutting-edge society. It is hard to believe that we celebrated our 12th annual meeting in 2024—my final year as president of VBS! We have expanded in many different directions and are considered one of the premier retina societies. VBS now offers a phenomenal teaching website (Vit-Buckle Academy), a formal fellows teaching program, a diversity initiative, and a commitment to wellness. I am pleased to say that this year’s wellness initiative focused on parenthood and balancing a career and children.

I am also on the board of the EnVision Summit, a very family-friendly, multi-subspecialty meeting that takes place in Puerto Rico every February. Although casual, the EnVision Summit offers high-level scientific presentations in an atmosphere where kids are free to attend and participate in their own dedicated activities. Additionally, we invite speakers of all backgrounds and encourage podium time for those who would like more experience.

Between these two societies, I have had the privilege to contribute to the growth of individuals within the field of retina by providing them with guidance and support, fostering their development, and bolstering their confidence.

3. What has your experience been collaborating with industry?

The field of retina has been remarkably dynamic in the past 2 decades, both medically and surgically. Interactions with industry in the context of advisory boards and speaking opportunities have been valuable in discussing new pharmacotherapeutics and surgical interventions. I appreciate that companies have been more creative in their approaches with physicians, with more of an exchange in the dialogue.

I also greatly appreciate the push to include more women and underrepresented minorities. It is hard to believe that I have been in practice for 15 years now; in my first decade, it was not at all uncommon for me to be the only woman on an advisory board of 16 to 18 people! In my experience, companies have increased diversity in all aspects, reflecting both an internal push and an external reflection of the changing face of retina.

4. In your opinion, how is the role of women in ophthalmology evolving?

In 2000, 2 years before I started residency, only 29% of ophthalmology residents were women. By 2020, the proportion of women grew to 41%, representing a 30% increase! The growth of women in retina specifically has followed a similar trajectory, despite an overall greater disparity.

This sheer increase in numbers leads to increased representation. The growing presence of women has yielded better mentorship opportunities, better networking, and overall better participation. Women are increasingly assuming leadership roles within academic departments and professional societies; this greater visibility leads back to increased representation.

Despite the great strides that have been made, there remains a lot of work to be done. Women are still behind men as lead authors of peer-reviewed publications and in leadership roles within academia and private practice. We must continue to push for greater involvement and not be content with our current status.

5. What hurdles do you feel women in health care still face?

Women continue to face the same hurdles that have been around for years, including:

• Gender bias;
• Implicit bias;
• Underrepresentation in leadership roles/research;
• Limited access to leadership development opportunities; and
• Work-life balance.

I find it ironic that the problem with work-life balance is that women still carry the burden of the child/home care yet are judged poorly for it, despite our best efforts to achieve some balance. This has a significant downstream effect of limiting or “needing” to limit women’s ability to get involved in research or leadership roles outside of their traditional job responsibilities. It is a testament to women that they are still achieving these roles while carrying the burden of homecare. I truly believe that when homecare is shared more equally, women will achieve more equality in the workplace.

6. What advice can you offer to young female ophthalmologists who are still in training or just beginning their careers?

Get involved! Participate outside your jobs through societies, industry collaborations, clinical trials, etc. Seek out good mentors, and be a good mentor to develop a strong network. More than accepting the leadership opportunities that come your way, ask for them! Ask to get involved. Prioritize work-life balance from the start and make this a habit and an expectation for those who enter your life. Advocate for yourself and stay confident in your abilities. Do not ever believe that you are “not good enough.” Most importantly, support other women in this wonderful field—we all benefit from this.

7. Can you propose a unique or creative idea that may help women in ophthalmic practices?

Our training taught us to “see one, do one, teach one.” Do the same with opportunities that come your way. If you attend a conference that resonates with you, ask if you can participate. Once you do, seek out another woman to participate the following year, and be explicit in asking her to do the same going forward. This type of act can be performed in many different settings: presentations, projects, committees, advisory boards, clinical research trials, publications, etc. See one, be one, and pass one on!

PROFESSIONAL SOCIETY MEMBERSHIPS

• EnVision Summit, Treasurer, Retina Planning Committee | 2019–Present
• Retina Society, Finance Committee | 2012–Present
• American Society of Retina Specialists (ASRS), Practice Management Committee | 2007–Present
• Vit-Buckle Society (VBS) | 2007–Present
• Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) | 2005–Present
• American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) | 2002–Present

HONORS & AWARDS

• ARVO Travel Grant (Sponsored by the National Eye Institute) | 2007
• Chief Resident, Case Western Reserve University | 2004–2005
• Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Society, MCP-Hahnemann School of Medicine | 2001

PUBLISHED WORKS

• Lalwani GA. Clinical case compendium. Retina Today. September 2017.
• Lalwani GA. Anti-VEGF therapy in diabetic macular edema. Retina Today. September 2009.
• Lalwani GA, Rosenfeld PJ, Fung AE, et al. A variable-dosing regimen with intravitreal ranibizumab for neovascular age-related macular degeneration: year 2 of the PrONTO Study. Am J Ophthalmol. 2009;148(1):43-58.
• Lalwani GA. All about PrONTO: study yielded good results in AMD with treatment guided by OCT. Retina Today. May 2007.
• Lalwani GA, Buch M, Murray TG, Puliafito CA, Berrocal AM. Off-label use of intravitreal bevacizumab (Avastin) for salvage treatment in progressive threshold retinopathy of prematurity. Retina. 2008;28(3 Suppl):S13-18.
• Lalwani GA. Flynn HW, Quinn CD, et al. Acute-onset endophthalmitis following clear corneal cataract Surgery (1996-2005): clinical features, microbiology and visual outcomes. Ophthalmology. 2008;115(3):473-476.
• Fung AE, Lalwani GA, Rosenfeld PJ, Puliafito CA, Michels S, Venkatraman AS. An optical coherence tomography-guided variable dosing regimen with intravitreal bevacizumab (Lucentis) for neovascular age-related macular degeneration. Am J Ophthalmol. 2007;143(4):566-583.
• Lalwani GA, Punabi OS, Flynn HW, Knighton RW, Puliafito CA. Documentation of optic nerve pit with macular schisis-like cavity by spectral domain OCT. Ophthalmic Surg Lasers Imaging. 2007;38(3):262-264.
• Lalwani GA, Buch M, Cardone S, Murray TG, Puliafito CA, Berrocal AM. Off-label use of intravitreal bevacizumab as salvage therapy for progressive threshold ROP. Retinal Physician. 2007;4(1);77-78.
• Rosenfeld PJ, Rich R, Lalwani GA. Ranibizumab: phase III clinical trial results. Ophthalmol Clin North Am. 2006;19(3):361-372.
• Rich RM, Rosenfeld PJ, Puliafito CA, et al. Short-term safety and efficacy of intravitreal bevacizumab (Avastin) for neovascular age-related macular degeneration. Retina. 2006;26(5):495-511.
• Lalwani GA, Olmos L, Rosenfeld PJ, Puliafito CA. Optical coherence tomography findings. In: Kaiser PK, Sears JA, Singh RP, eds. Age-Related Macular Degeneration. London: Remedica; 2011.