Gender Differences in Faculty Rank and Leadership Positions Among Hematologists and Oncologists in the United States

Abstract

PURPOSE: Gender disparity persists in academic medicine. Female faculty are underrepresented in leadership positions and have lower research output. We studied gender differences in faculty rank and departmental leadership and contributing factors among academic hematologists and oncologists in the United States. METHODS: For clinical faculty at 146 hematology or oncology fellowship programs listed in the Fellowship and Residency Electronic Interactive Database, we collected data on demographics, academic rank, and research output using the Doximity and Scopus databases. We compared unadjusted characteristics of men and women by using 2-sided t tests and χ2 tests where appropriate. To predict probability of full professorship or leadership position among men versus women, we performed multivariable logistic regression analysis adjusted for clinical experience in years, number of publications, h-index, clinical trial investigator status, National Institutes of Health funding, and workplace ranking (top 20 v not). RESULTS: Two thousand one hundred sixty academic hematologists and oncologists were included. Women composed 21.9% (n = 142) of full professors, 35.7% (n = 169) of associate professors, and 45.4% (n = 415) of assistant professors. Thirty percent (n = 70) of departmental leaders were women. Female faculty, compared with male faculty, had a lower mean h-index (12.1 v 20.9, respectively; P < .001) and fewer years of professional experience since fellowship (10 v 16 years, respectively; P < .001). After adjusting for duration of clinical experience, academic productivity, and workplace ranking, the odds of obtaining professorship (odds ratio [OR], 1.05; 95% CI, 0.71 to 1.57; P = .85) or divisional leadership (OR, 0.57; 95% CI, 0.20 to 1.58; P = .28) for female physicians were not different compared with male physicians. CONCLUSION: Gender disparity exists in senior ranks of academic hematology and oncology; however, gender is not a significant predictor in achieving professorship or department leadership position.

Gender influence on work satisfaction and leadership for medical oncologists: a survey of the Spanish Society of Medical Oncology (SEOM)

“…2,10,16 In a study by Riaz et al, while women in the United States are clearly underrepresented in senior academic hematology and oncology positions (22% of full professors, 36% of associate professors, and 45% of assistant professors), after adjusting for clinical experience, academic productivity, and workplace ranking, the odds of obtaining professorship were not significantly different for female and male physicians. 30 This supports the theory that for women to reach equal leadership representation, differences in length of clinical experience need to be addressed, and publication profiles and workplace visibility must be increased.…”

Racial and gender disparities in neurology

“…Despite all these efforts, URMs comprise a minority in academic neurology. 9 Studies have highlighted the ethnic and/or gender disparity in faculty ranks including cardiology, 10 emergency medicine, 11 radiation oncology, 12 psychiatry, 13 14 dermatology, 15 gastroenterology, 16 ophthalmology, 17 haematology 18 and medical school faculty. 19 However, the data for neurology are few and limited.…”

Gender Differences in Research Project Grants and R01 Grants at the National Institutes of Health

“…Research has been a driving force in the advancement of medicine, and more than half of the world’s funding comes from the U.S. [ 1 ]. In 2014, the R01 grant accounted for 49% of all NIH extramural funding [ 2 ]. The R01 grant is also seen as a turning point in the early career of an academician that can be utilized to promote further granting opportunities [ 29 ].…”

“…Women have narrowed the gender gap with men among biomedical science degree holders, but they are lagging behind in academic ranks and leadership positions [1][2][3]. Women were 49% of all PhD degree awardees in biological sciences in 2005, and it increased to 52% in 2010 [4].…”

“…However, female assistant professors with a biology PhD constituted only 44% of the faculty in 2015 [5]. Similar discrepancies between PhD holders and faculty representation also persist in academic medicine [2,6,7], professional medical societies [8][9][10], and editorial boards of medical journals [11,12]. The National Institutes of Health (NIH), which is the world's leading source of public funding for biomedical research, receives disproportionally a lower number of newer grant applications from women [13].…”