Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

Meet Visiting Clerkship Scholarship recipient Lensa Moen

Each year, the Department of Ophthalmology awards a visiting clerkship scholarship to a fourth-year medical student from a historically underrepresented background in medicine. A generous donor provided the scholarship.

This past summer, the recipient was Lensa Moen, who attends the Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine at Washington State University in Spokane.  

“I am honored and grateful to have been selected as the 2025 recipient of the University of Washington Ophthalmology Visiting Student Scholarship.”

Moen had the opportunity to experience the exceptional education in ophthalmology at UW, spending four weeks at Harborview Medical Center and Seattle Children’s.  

 

Lensa was born in Ethiopia and later emigrated to Sweden with her family. She is multilingual, speaking two Ethiopian languages and Swedish fluently in addition to English.

She came to UW for college, studying neuroscience, then completed a one-year post-baccalaureate clinical internship in medical lab science. She was a medical technologist for 10 years before entering medical school. She is married and the couple had their first child last year.

She became interested in ophthalmology first when a friend had a retinal detachment, and saw how he received immediate, vision-saving treatment for that.

She asked to be placed with an ophthalmologist for a rotation, “and I was hooked after seeing my first surgery.”

During her visiting clerkship this summer, she particularly enjoyed working with the ophthalmology physicians at Seattle Children’s.

“I marveled at their ability to determine eyeglass prescriptions for non-verbal children using retinoscopy,” Moen said.

“I am hoping to be married to ophthalmology,” she said. “I am proposing (applying to residency programs) and we’ll see if she says yes.”

Our DEI Mission

Provide equitable eye care to all through an inclusive and diverse team of faculty, residents, and staff

Our DEI Vision

Become a leader in:

• Inclusive and respectful patient care

• Diverse environment and equitable career opportunities for physicians and trainees

Our Values

• Committed and accountable

• Inclusive and respectful

• Open to new ideas and perspectives

Our Initiatives

• UW Office of Healthcare Equity training

• DEI movie night for trainees and faculty

• Importance of diversifying the medical workforce

 

VISION Scholarship - Valuing Individual Stories and Insights for Ophthalmology Network

The UW Department of Ophthalmology is excited to participate in the Visiting Student Clerkship Program, a funded program designed to give 4th-year medical students from backgrounds historically underrepresented in medicine the opportunity to experience the exceptional education in ophthalmology offered by the University of Washington. Students will spend two or four weeks at one or more of the UW ophthalmology services, including Harborview Medical Center, Seattle Children’s, and/or VA Puget Sound Health Care System, and care for a variety of patients in our tertiary care centers. Students will also be expected to attend all scheduled medical student and resident teaching sessions, conferences and present at least one case presentation to the other students on the rotation.

Eligibility

The program is open to applicants who are currently enrolled in a U.S. medical school, demonstrate academic excellence, and belong to groups that are recognized as historically underrepresented in the health and science professions, including Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, and Native American (American Indian/Alaska Native/Native Hawaiian). Applicants should be strongly motivated to pursue a career in Ophthalmology.

Application
The funded Visiting Clerkship position will be available in June, July, August, or September. Funding includes a stipend of up to $1,500 to cover housing and travel costs for either two or four weeks.

Students must also apply through VSLO and submit a personal statement separately to ophthclerk@uw.edu.