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

Studies show that women are underrepresented in grand rounds across academic specialties. When women are invited as speakers, they are less likely to be introduced by their professional title compared to men. The purpose of this study was to determine what factors influenced the use of professional titles when introducing speakers at grand rounds.

This was a retrospective, observational study of grand rounds from October 2017 to March 2020 for the departments of internal medicine, neurology, OB/Gyn, pediatrics, psychiatry, and surgery at a large, academic medical center in the United States. Introductions were coded for the use of speakers' title, introducer and speaker gender, introducer and speaker training level, and speaker home institution.

A total of 386 unique grand rounds and invited lectureships were reviewed for a total of 717 introductions. A greater number of men spoke at grand rounds across specialties and training (55%, χ² = 450.4, P < .01). Men represented a greater proportion of invited speakers (62%, χ² = 13.23, P < .01). Overall, men and women were introduced by their professional title with similar frequency (49% women). Invited and endowed speakers were more likely to be introduced by their professional title (odds ratio, 1.85; 95% confidence interval, 1.14-3.01; P = .01). Title use and representation varied by specialty.

Women remain underrepresented as grand rounds and invited speakers. Men and women were introduced by their professional title with similar frequency. Differences between departments suggested that introduction protocols increased title use, and consideration of gender balance could be used to improve gender representation.