A Focused Career Development Program for Women Faculty at an Academic Medical Center

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Academic Medicine
• Faculty Development

Background:

• Women remain underrepresented in upper faculty ranks and leadership positions within academic medical centers.
• Addressing this disparity is crucial for promoting gender equity in academic medicine.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of a career development program (CDP) aimed at increasing the number of women in upper faculty ranks and leadership positions.
• To assess the impact of the CDP on promotion success and overall faculty promotion rates.

Main Methods:

• The CDP at MUSC included 2-day and half-day promotion-focused sessions from 2013-2017.
• Program reaction and learning were assessed via post-program surveys.
• Promotion success was evaluated through surveys of attendees and analysis of university-level personnel data (pre- and post-CDP).

Main Results:

• 94% of CDP attendees reported overall satisfaction and willingness to recommend the program.
• 84% of CDP attendees who applied for promotion were successful.
• Overall promotion rates for women and men at MUSC became similar post-CDP, with a significant increase in women promoted to Full Professor.

Conclusions:

• The CDP demonstrated high attendee satisfaction and improved promotion success for women in academic medicine.
• While the CDP contributed to increased promotion rates for women, achieving gender parity in upper ranks requires additional retention and recruitment strategies.