Plastic Surgery Chairs and Program Directors: Are the Qualifications Different for Men and Women?

Area of Science:

• Medical Specialties
• Surgical Disciplines
• Plastic Surgery Leadership

Background:

• Established gender disparity in plastic surgery leadership roles.
• Previous research indicates fewer female chairs and program directors.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare objective credentials between male and female plastic surgery department chairs/division chiefs and program directors.
• To investigate differences in career length, fellowships, and publications.

Main Methods:

• Extracted data from plastic surgery residency program websites.
• Recorded career length, number of fellowships, and publications for each leader.
• Utilized two-tailed t-tests for statistical comparison.

Main Results:

• Female representation: 9.1% of chairs and 13.1% of program directors.
• No significant difference in years of practice or fellowships between genders.
• Female chairs had significantly more publications than male chairs (128 vs. 71.9; p < 0.05).
• Chairs had more experience and publications than program directors, irrespective of gender.

Conclusions:

• Women are underrepresented in plastic surgery leadership.
• Female leaders demonstrate higher qualifications (publications) than their male counterparts.
• Further research is needed to understand promotion and appointment standards.