The power of webinars: expanding diverse female representation and role models in surgery

Women, particularly those from widening participation (WP) backgrounds, remain underrepresented in surgical specialties. The educational pipeline is marked by limited exposure to relatable role models, which may discourage these individuals from pursuing surgical careers. Digital learning platforms offer a novel approach to address this gap.

In collaboration with the Widening Participation Medics Network (WPMN), a UK-based charity supporting underrepresented medical students and doctors, we delivered a series of five free webinars. Each featured female surgeons-many from WP backgrounds-discussing surgical careers and personal barriers faced. Attendees ranged from pre-medical students to senior clinicians. Post-event surveys (n = 275, 75% response rate) collected both numerical and free-text responses to evaluate impact on understanding, motivation, and representation.

The series reached 369 live attendees globally, with 60% identifying as WP and 27% reporting multiple WP characteristics. 73% of attendees agreed that there are many barriers preventing women from widening participation backgrounds entering into a surgical career and thriving as a surgeon. Exposure to WP-focused content of the webinars significantly improved insight into the challenges women face in surgery (Wilcoxon signed-rank test, p < 0.001, r = 0.74). A high proportion (84%) reported increased motivation to pursue surgery after attending the webinars. Presence of female speakers, surgical theme and WP narratives were the most cited reasons for attendance. Many (33%) had never previously attended an educational event featuring WP discussion.

Webinars centered on lived experiences and diversity are effective in providing impactful surgical education and inspiration, especially for underrepresented students and doctors. These findings support the integration of inclusive, role model-led virtual teaching in medical education. Further longitudinal studies are needed to evaluate career progression and retention impacts.