Professional Title Use and Gender Representation During Grand Rounds and Invited Lectureships Across Specialties.

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Gender Studies in Medicine
• Academic Medicine

Background:

• Women face underrepresentation in academic grand rounds across specialties.
• Female speakers are less likely to be introduced by their professional titles compared to male speakers.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify factors influencing the use of professional titles during introductions at grand rounds.
• To analyze gender disparities in speaker representation and introduction practices.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective observational study of 386 grand rounds and lectureships (October 2017-March 2020).
• Analysis of 717 introductions, coding for speaker/introducer gender, title usage, training level, and institution.
• Data collected from six departments at a large US academic medical center.

Main Results:

• Men spoke more frequently (55%) and were more represented as invited speakers (62%).
• Professional titles were used similarly for men and women (49% for women).
• Invited/endowed speakers received titles more often (OR 1.85); title use varied by specialty.

Conclusions:

• Women remain underrepresented in grand rounds and as invited speakers.
• Similar title usage for male and female speakers was observed.
• Departmental differences suggest protocols can increase title use; gender balance initiatives are recommended.