Creation of a Professional Development Program for Women in a Major US Medical School Pathology Department

Improving promotion and retention of women in pathology at major medical schools is important, especially in schools and departments that are below Association of American Medical College averages for these metrics. Our objective was to create a professional development program for women within the Department of Pathology at Washington University School of Medicine and to assess its perceived value.

A forum for women faculty, residents, and fellows was created and has been in place for 5 years. The forum meets once per month; the content includes various topics, articles, books, and invited speakers and covers a broad range of professional development subjects. The success of the forum was assessed by surveying attendees. A survey was created with Surveymonkey.com and sent to 65 women who had been invited to the forum over the 5-year period.

Responses were received from 26/65 (40%) women surveyed. Junior faculty constituted 42% of attendees, with fellows, residents, midcareer faculty, and senior faculty attending in the descending order of frequency. All responders found the forum valuable. The most valuable content can be broken into 2 major themes: (a) issues facing women in medicine (such as unconscious bias) and (b) tools for improving professional development (such as negotiation skills for women).

Survey responses and comments indicate that this forum is perceived as extremely valuable. This format and content could easily be replicated in any academic department. Knowledge of what topics women found the most valuable can help direct the content and enhance successful outcomes of this type of professional development program.