Analysis of Speaker Introduction Formality by Gender at the American College of Gastroenterology 2020 Annual Scientific Meeting

Abstract

Background Gender-based differences in the use of professional titles during speaker introductions have been described in other medical specialties. Aims Our primary aim was to assess gender-based differences in the formality of speaker introductions at the American College of Gastroenterology 2020 Virtual Annual Scientific Meeting. Our secondary aim was to assess gender-based differences in the formality of speaker self-introductions. Methods Reviewed presentations from the American College of Gastroenterology Annual Meeting for gender-based differences in professional title use during speaker introductions and self-introductions. Results Speakers included 29 women (37.2%) and 49 men (62.8%). We found no significant gender differences in the use of professional titles by introducers (t(67) = − 0.775, p = 0.441) or in self-introductions (36.4% of women vs. 41.9% of men, t(63) = 0.422, p = 0.674). ConclusionThe lack of gender differences in professional title use may represent a novel advantage of virtual meeting formats or suggest increased attention to gender bias in introductions.

Introducing Dr. Smith, Dr. Wang, and Emily

“…Similar to recent studies investigating speaker gender bias at medical conferences, Feld et al did not find a difference in formal introduction use for female vs. male speakers [5][6][7]. Of the 78 introductions reviewed at the 2020 ACG meeting, all but one introduction utilized a formal form of address to introduce the speaker, and all female speakers were introduced using their formal professional title [6]. The consistent use of formal introductions by moderators at the ACG is an encouraging finding, though it would be interesting to know if the high rate of formal introduction use was a result of the meeting's entirely virtual format or perhaps a result of meeting organizers intentionally recommending a standardized script for speaker introduction.…”

“…Similar to recent studies investigating speaker gender bias at medical conferences, Feld et al did not find a difference in formal introduction use for female vs. male speakers [5][6][7]. Of the 78 introductions reviewed at the 2020 ACG meeting, all but one introduction utilized a formal form of address to introduce the speaker, and all female speakers were introduced using their formal professional title [6].…”

“…In this issue of Digestive Diseases and Sciences, Feld and colleagues investigated use of formal titles by gender at the virtual 2020 American College of Gastroenterology (ACG) annual meeting [6]. The current work is the first to assess gender bias in speaker introductions at a prominent gastroenterology conference [6].…”

“…In this issue of Digestive Diseases and Sciences, Feld and colleagues investigated use of formal titles by gender at the virtual 2020 American College of Gastroenterology (ACG) annual meeting [6]. The current work is the first to assess gender bias in speaker introductions at a prominent gastroenterology conference [6]. Feld et al's study contributes to the existing literature on gender bias in speaker introductions at national medical conferences by examining introductions at a virtual meeting in light of the COVID-19 pandemic and exploring the concept of formal title use in self-introductions [6].…”

“…When Duma et al published their findings that female speakers were less likely to be introduced by their formal title when compared with male speakers (62 vs. 81%, p < 0.01) at the American Society for Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting, ASCO's Cancer Education Committee responded by publishing recommendations ("The Language of Respect") on the consistent use of formal doctoral titles (i.e., "Dr.") by all session participants and requested that session chairs reiterate this policy at the start of each session [3,8]. Since the publication of "The Language of Respect," increased awareness of speaker gender biases has sparked discussions among multiple medical specialties; the existence of these guidelines may even be responsible for the lack of differences in formal introduction between female and male speakers in subsequent studies [5][6][7][8].…”