Resident and program director gender distribution by specialty

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Academic Medicine
• Gender Studies in Medicine

Background:

• Despite increased female enrollment in medical schools, women face barriers to senior academic and leadership positions.
• This study examines gender disparities in residency program director (PD) roles within major medical specialties.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the gender distribution of residency PDs with that of residents and faculty in the 10 largest medical specialties.
• To identify trends in the appointment of female PDs over time.

Main Methods:

• Data on resident gender distribution sourced from the Journal of the American Medical Association.
• PD and faculty gender data obtained from Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education and Association of American Medical Colleges databases.
• Statistical analyses included Pearson's correlation and chi-square tests to assess gender distribution and appointment trends.

Main Results:

• A significant positive correlation exists between the percentage of female PDs and female residents across specialties (r=0.81, p=0.005).
• Increased appointments of female PDs were observed in emergency medicine, family medicine, and overall between 2006-2010 compared to earlier periods.
• Female PDs remained underrepresented relative to female medical school faculty in 7 of 10 specialties.

Conclusions:

• Women are underrepresented in residency PD appointments relative to their proportion among medical school faculty and residents.
• Addressing gender-based barriers is crucial to promote gender equity in academic medicine leadership.