Is Program Director Gender Associated With Gender Diversity Among Orthopaedic Surgery Residency Programs?

Area of Science:

• Orthopaedic Surgery
• Medical Education
• Gender Diversity

Background:

• Women are underrepresented in orthopaedic surgery leadership and residency programs.
• The impact of program director gender on resident diversity is not well understood.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine if program director gender is associated with the percentage of women residents in orthopaedic surgery.
• To examine differences in time to appointment as program director between women and men.

Main Methods:

• Analyzed data from 194 orthopaedic surgery residencies (2021-2022).
• Collected program director demographics and resident gender data from public resources.
• Utilized univariate analysis, t-tests, and chi-square tests for comparisons.

Main Results:

• No significant difference in the percentage of women residents between programs led by women versus men directors (22% vs. 20%).
• Women program directors were appointed earlier (8 years post-residency vs. 12 years).
• Women directors had lower h-indices and fewer publications compared to men directors.

Conclusions:

• The gender of the orthopaedic surgery program director does not appear to influence the proportion of women residents.
• Women directors face potential career jeopardy due to earlier appointments and research impact.
• Mentorship and pipeline programs are recommended to enhance diversity in orthopaedic surgery residency.