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Dr. Tyrie Lee Jenkins, an accomplished ophthalmologist and eye surgeon, provides quality eye care to patients of all ages. She has built both her ophthalmology practice and her community service around the same principle — compassionate care.

Whether she’s restoring patients’ vision through precision cataract surgery and laser refractive surgery, or mentoring a girl scout, Dr. Jenkins’ attention is securely focused on the individual.

Such compassion is not always found in someone who is as inquiring a scientist as Dr. Jenkins. (She began her academic career as a physics and chemistry major, can lecture on genomes or astronomy and remains current on ever-new developments in ophthalmology.)

She has been involved with laser vision correction since its infancy, and performed Hawaii’s first LASIK (Laser in situ Keratomileusis) procedure in 1997. She was active in the national study that led to the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) approval of the technique. Since then, she has performed more than 10,000 laser refractive surgeries, and remains one of the busiest laser eye surgeons in the islands. She is the medical director of the Laser Eye Center of Hawaii, where she performs her laser eye surgeries.

Dr. Jenkins also remains on top of technological advances in eye diseases, including cataracts and glaucoma. She also performs surgeries at the Surgical Suites.

Dr. Jenkins traces her caring bedside manner to her missionary-doctor grandmother. Her grandmother warned her early in her medical career not to let the science and clinical ways of medicine to get in the way of an inherent trait of nurturing.

Drawn to Hawaii’s warm climes, Dr. Jenkins moved here in 1989 and quickly established herself as one of the premier anterior segment and laser refractive surgeons in Honolulu.

Nationally recognized for her work in laser refractive surgery, she was named twice by VISX as one of the top 100 eye surgeons in the country.

Naturally inclined to “left brain” studies, Dr. Jenkins graduated from Mount Holyoke College Phi Beta Kappa and magna cum laude with a double major in physics and chemistry. She attended Jefferson Medical College, and completed her ophthalmology training at the prestigious Wills Eye Hospital in Philadelphia.

When she was the medical director of the Omni Eye Services in Memphis, Tennessee, she was one of the busiest cataract surgeons in the nation. Before moving to Hawaii, she was on the faculty at the Southern College on Optometry and served as the research coordinator for the Vitreo Retinal Foundation.

She is a fellow of the American Academy of Ophthalmology and a member of the Hawaii Medical Association, International Society of Refractive Surgery, and American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons.

Dr. Jenkins says she “has her gene pool to thank.” She comes from a long line of strong, service-minded women. Her great-great grandmother was a midwife in rural Pennsylvania and her great grandmother was a nurse. Her grandmother and grandfather were M.D.s and medical missionaries in Katmandu, Nepal. Her mother is a nursing instructor at the University of Delaware. Her daughter, Annie Hiller, is in pre-med, taking the family medicine women into the sixth generation.

Dr. Jenkins has always made it her mission to mentor women and girls and has been a mentor for the Girls Scouts of Hawaii for three years. In May 2005, the YWCA of Honolulu selected Dr. Jenkins as one of four Hawaii women recognized at its annual LeaderLuncheon, the largest event honoring women’s achievements in the state. Last year she launched Doctors for the Cure, part of the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation’s annual Race for the Cure. She continues to support the Komen Foundation. Pacific Business News recognized Dr. Jenkins as one of the 25 top businesswomen twice, and the Small Business Administration named her Oahu’s Women in Business Advocate of 2004.

She continues to support women’s leadership through events such as Enlightened Power, a two-day seminar featuring sportswoman Rayona Sharpnack and sponsored jointly by YWCA, The Queens Medical Center and The Women’s Fund.

Dr. Jenkins’ “right brain” is equally active. She studies piano and is a committed outdoorswoman. Last year circumstances led her to Peggy Chun, a Hawaii artist who has amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). She became one of “Peg’s Legs,” a Share-the-Care group for Chun, and organizer of a major art fundraiser on Peggy’s behalf, cajoling colleagues, friends and fellow artists to contribute. You will also find her once a week helping care for Peggy and bringing in “guest artists” to sing, play or talk story.

Dr. Jenkins and her husband George Norcross have raised four teenagers. Her hobbies include hiking, sailing, needlepoint and reading. She is on the board of the Hawaii Opera Theater and The Women’s Fund and contributes to The Contemporary Museum Biennial of Hawaii Artists and Hawaii Public Radio. She is an active member of the Women's Literary Society of Greater Honolulu and two investment clubs.

Continuing the family legacy of giving back, Dr. Jenkins recently participated in a mission to Zhong Shan, China to develop ophthalmologic care in the region.