Gender diversity in United States neurosurgery training programs

Area of Science:

• Medical Specialties
• Neurosurgery
• Surgical Workforce Diversity

Background:

• Neurosurgery has historically low female representation in both resident and faculty positions.
• Accurate data on gender distribution is crucial for assessing efforts to improve female recruitment and retention.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine the current gender distribution of faculty and residents in Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME)-accredited neurosurgery training programs.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of publicly available data for neurosurgical faculty and residents at ACGME-accredited programs during the 2017-2018 academic year.
• Collected data included gender, age, academic rank, and leadership positions for faculty, and gender and training year for residents.

Main Results:

• Out of 1350 residents, 18.2% were female. Among 1320 faculty, 8.7% were female.
• Female faculty were younger, had lower h-indices, and were less likely to hold board certification or leadership roles.
• Over half of programs had both female faculty and residents, but 32.1% had female residents without female faculty.

Conclusions:

• The study provides a snapshot of gender diversity in neurosurgery training programs.
• Fewer women hold senior academic and leadership positions, likely due to fewer women in later career stages.
• Despite disparities, progress toward greater gender diversity in the neurosurgical workforce is evident.