Set priorities, own decisions when forging career in medicine
February 12, 2026
25 min watch
Key takeaways:
- Young ophthalmologists should consider their personal priorities when setting their career path.
- Social media can be used to inspire young women to pursue a career in medicine.
When building a career as a young ophthalmologist, there are no rules or set paths.
In the inaugural episode of Steeped Insights, a video blog series produced by Women in Ophthalmology and Healio, host Karen Chen, MD, of The Permanente Medical Group, and cohost Andrea L. Kossler, MD, FACS, of Stanford University and Byers Eye Institute, sat down with Andrea Tooley, MD, of Mayo Clinic. Over a cup of tea, they discussed Tooley’s early use of social media and blogging to inspire young people to pursue careers in medicine by “pulling back the curtain” on life as a medical student.
Karen Chen, MD, Andrea L. Kossler, MD, FACS, and Andrea Tooley, MD, discuss forging a career as a young ophthalmologist.
In addition, they discussed the positive impact of the Women in Ophthalmology community on career development and mentorship as well as how young women in medicine can build a career without sacrificing their priorities.
“At the end of the day, it’s about being intentional and deciding what you want and not letting life live for you. Make those decisions and own it,” Tooley said. “I would give anybody permission to say, ‘This is what is important to me, and this is how I’m going to design my life to support my priorities.’”
Sources/Disclosures
Source:
Healio Interviews
Disclosures:
No products or companies that would require financial disclosure are mentioned in this article.
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