Posthumously inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame alongside Marian Croak, becoming (with Croak) the first Black women ever inducted.
On May 5, 2022, Patricia Bath was posthumously inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame at a ceremony in Washington, D.C., alongside fellow inventor Marian Croak. Together, they became the first two Black women in the Hall of Fame's history, a milestone announced in 2021 and formalized at this induction ceremony, more than four decades after the Hall's founding in 1973.
Bath was honored specifically for her invention of the Laserphaco Probe and her broader body of work in laser cataract surgery, which had transformed ophthalmic treatment worldwide and restored sight to countless patients. The induction placed her alongside history's most celebrated inventors, including Thomas Edison and the Wright Brothers, recognizing the profound and lasting impact of her contributions to medical technology.
This achievement carried particular symbolic weight given the long history of exclusion faced by Black women in both science and the patent system. Media coverage of the induction, including extensive reporting by NPR, highlighted the significance of finally recognizing Black women's contributions to American innovation at the highest institutional level. The induction cemented Bath's legacy not only as a groundbreaking ophthalmologist and inventor but as an enduring symbol of perseverance against systemic barriers in science, medicine, and intellectual property.