An Update on Gender Disparity in Critical Care Conferences.

Area of Science:

• Medical Conferences
• Critical Care Medicine
• Gender Studies in Science

Background:

• Previous research in 2018 highlighted gender disparities in critical care conference participation.
• Understanding trends in female representation is crucial for promoting diversity and inclusion in scientific fields.
• Auditing speaker and moderator demographics provides insights into gender equity within professional medical communities.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate changes in female faculty representation at major critical care conferences since 2018.
• To assess gender parity in speaker and moderator roles across international and national critical care meetings.
• To identify specific areas where gender gaps persist, particularly concerning physician roles.

Main Methods:

• Conducted a 6-year audit (2017-2022) of scientific programs from five critical care conferences.
• Collected data on female faculty, categorizing them into physicians, nurses, allied health professions (AHPs), and other.
• Analyzed trends in the representation of female speakers and moderators over the study period.

Main Results:

• Overall increase in female speakers and moderators across conferences, but males still outnumbered females.
• Gender parity in speakers was achieved only at SCCM (2021-2022) and SOA (2022), with 48% female representation.
• Significant increases in female nurses and AHPs speakers were observed, though their overall numbers remained low; a persistent gender gap in physician representation was noted.

Conclusions:

• While progress has been made in female representation at critical care conferences, a gender gap remains.
• Specific conferences show improvement, particularly in the inclusion of female nurses and AHPs.
• Continued commitment and targeted strategies are necessary to address and minimize gender inequalities in critical care scientific platforms.