TY - JOUR
T1 - Women in Thoracic Surgery 2020 Update—Subspecialty and Work-Life Balance Analysis
AU - Giuliano, Katherine
AU - Ceppa, Duy Khanh P.
AU - Antonoff, Mara
AU - Donington, Jessica S.
AU - Kane, Lauren
AU - Lawton, Jennifer S.
AU - Sen, Danielle Gottlieb
N1 - Funding Information:
The authors wish to acknowledge Lava R. Timsina, PhD, for statistical support.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2022 The Society of Thoracic Surgeons
PY - 2022/11
Y1 - 2022/11
N2 - Background: While women comprise nearly half of medical school graduates, they remain underrepresented in cardiothoracic (CT) surgery. To better understand ongoing barriers, we aimed to delineate issues relevant to the CT subspecialities, emphasizing personal life. Methods: An anonymous Research Electronic Data Capture (REDCap; hosted at Indiana University School of Medicine) survey link was emailed to female diplomats of the American Board of Thoracic Surgeons (ABTS). The survey included questions on demographics, professional accolades, practice details, and personal life. Survey responses were compared across subspecialities using χ2 testing. Results: Of 354 female ABTS diplomats, we contacted 309, and 176 (57%) completed the survey. By subspecialty, 42% practice thoracic, 26% adult cardiac, and 10% congenital cardiac; 19% report a mixed practice. The subspecialties differed in length of training (congenital—the longest), practice location (mixed practice—less urban), and academic rank (thoracic—most full professors at 17%), but were largely similar in their personal lives. Among all respondents, 65% are in a committed relationship, but 40% felt that being a CT surgeon negatively impacted their ability to find a partner. Sixty percent have children, but 31% of those with children reported using assisted reproductive technology, surrogacy, or adoption. The number with leadership roles (eg, division chief, committee chair of national organization) did not differ among subspecialities, but was low, ranging from 0 to <30%. Conclusions: Women remain underrepresented in CT surgery, particularly in the academic rank of full professor and in leadership positions. We advocate for scholarship and mentorship opportunities to encourage women to enter the field, increased female leadership, and policies to enable families.
AB - Background: While women comprise nearly half of medical school graduates, they remain underrepresented in cardiothoracic (CT) surgery. To better understand ongoing barriers, we aimed to delineate issues relevant to the CT subspecialities, emphasizing personal life. Methods: An anonymous Research Electronic Data Capture (REDCap; hosted at Indiana University School of Medicine) survey link was emailed to female diplomats of the American Board of Thoracic Surgeons (ABTS). The survey included questions on demographics, professional accolades, practice details, and personal life. Survey responses were compared across subspecialities using χ2 testing. Results: Of 354 female ABTS diplomats, we contacted 309, and 176 (57%) completed the survey. By subspecialty, 42% practice thoracic, 26% adult cardiac, and 10% congenital cardiac; 19% report a mixed practice. The subspecialties differed in length of training (congenital—the longest), practice location (mixed practice—less urban), and academic rank (thoracic—most full professors at 17%), but were largely similar in their personal lives. Among all respondents, 65% are in a committed relationship, but 40% felt that being a CT surgeon negatively impacted their ability to find a partner. Sixty percent have children, but 31% of those with children reported using assisted reproductive technology, surrogacy, or adoption. The number with leadership roles (eg, division chief, committee chair of national organization) did not differ among subspecialities, but was low, ranging from 0 to <30%. Conclusions: Women remain underrepresented in CT surgery, particularly in the academic rank of full professor and in leadership positions. We advocate for scholarship and mentorship opportunities to encourage women to enter the field, increased female leadership, and policies to enable families.
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U2 - 10.1016/j.athoracsur.2022.02.076
DO - 10.1016/j.athoracsur.2022.02.076
M3 - Article
C2 - 35339440
AN - SCOPUS:85128118436
SN - 0003-4975
VL - 114
SP - 1933
EP - 1942
JO - Annals of Thoracic Surgery
JF - Annals of Thoracic Surgery
IS - 5
ER -