Program Director Gender and Female Representation in United States Anesthesiology Residency Programs: A Website...

Female program directors (PD) have been suggested to influence gender representation and recruitment; however, their impact within anesthesiology residency programs remains unclear. This study evaluated whether PD gender is associated with differences in female resident and faculty representation and anesthesiology residency program website content.

Anesthesiology residency programs participating in the 2024-2025 National Resident Matching Program (NRMP) Match were identified through the American Medical Association's Fellowship and Residency Electronic Interactive Database (FREIDA). Program websites were evaluated for 13 predefined criteria across three domains: leadership and strategic vision, representation, and resources. Program characteristics, including full-time faculty and residents, were extracted. Scores across domains were compared by program director gender. Data presented as mean (standard deviation) or percentage (%).

A total of 160 programs were included in the analysis; 38% were led by female and 62% by male program directors. Women represented 35% of residents and full-time faculty across all programs. Programs led by female program directors was associated with lower female representation among residents (27.9% vs. 42.8%) and full-time faculty (27.4% vs. 44.4%, p<0.001) compared to male-led programs. The mean overall website content score was 6.45 ± 3.11, with no difference by program director gender (6.82 ± 3.04 vs. 6.21 ± 3.13, p=0.253). However, representation domain scores were higher in programs with female program directors (2.20 ± 0.95 vs.1.82 ± 1.06; p=0.042).

Women represent more than one-third of anesthesiology program directors, residents, and full-time faculty, reflecting continued progress toward gender equity within the specialty. However, programs led by female program directors had lower female representation among residents and full-time faculty, despite stronger emphasis on visual and descriptive representation within website content. Together, these findings suggest that while leadership equity remains important, recruitment, representation, and workforce equity are shaped by broader structural and institutional factors beyond program director gender alone.