Winning Essay Says ‘Collective Desire’ Must Drive DEI Implementation

The winning essayist in the 2025 John Henahan Writing Prize competition said ophthalmologists must make diversity, equity, and inclusion a priority to ensure the long-term sustainability and quality of the profession.

In his essay, “Thinking Beyond Optics: Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) and Unconscious Bias in Ophthalmology,” Jamal Atamniy, an ophthalmologist in Vienna, Austria, stated what he considers a “fundamental truth” underlying the debate over DEI policies and initiatives: “unconscious bias and inequality continue to influence ophthalmology training, practice, and research, often to the disadvantage of clinicians and patients.”

The answer, he wrote, is to see diversity and inclusion not simply as moral imperatives but as keys to the survival of the profession and the treatment of patients.

“Biases and inequities in ophthalmology can be mitigated through DEI,” the essay concluded. “This concept should not be dismissed as merely a quota that institutions must fulfil. Its implementation should stem from our collective desire as medical professionals to provide our patients with the best care.”

The John Henahan Writing Prize competition is open annually to young ophthalmologists who submit an essay (800 words maximum) on a selected topic. The author of the winning essay receives a €500 bursary and a specially commissioned trophy. The winning essay is also published in EuroTimes.

The 2025 competition asked participants to address this prompt:

Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programmes, however well-intentioned, stir a variety of responses in the corporate and political worlds and in the scientific and medical spheres. What DEI and unconscious bias issues are present in the current culture of ophthalmology training, practice, and clinical research? What are the potential benefits of addressing these issues for patients and ophthalmologists? What kind of meaningful changes need to happen to move beyond ‘talking the talk’ to ‘walking the walk’?