Presentations

Abstract

Introduction: Although women have historically been excluded from surgical fields, the positive impact female surgeons have on their patients cannot be understated. A 2023 study showed female surgeons have improved postoperative outcomes than male counterparts. In recent years, there have been positive changes for women in medicine. In 2017 there were more female medical students than male. Yet, when looking at female leadership the tune changes drastically; of the 350 of surgical chiefs across the country, only 23 of those positions are held by women.

Methods: Female chairs of surgery were identified on the Association of Women Surgeons website. Background information was gathered from publicly available sources including institutional websites, LinkedIn, and Doximity. Educational background included degrees attained, medical school attended, residency completed, duration of residency, any fellowship training and subspecialty were queried. Professional and academic data included institutional title, years at current institution, distinguished professorships, senior faculty roles, national leadership positions, honors/awards, publications, citations, h-index, and i-10.

Results: Average time from residency graduation to chief of surgery role was 23.8 years. A majority (95.6%) of female chairs completed fellowship training. Surgical oncology was the most common fellowship completed (27.3%). Many (47%) had a secondary degree (MS, MBA, or MPH). On average, each surgeon spent 8.1 years at their institution prior to becoming a surgical chair. The mean number of publications and citations was 208 and 11,428, respectively.  Average h-index and i-10 were 56.7 and 151.6, respectively.

Conclusion: Although gender equality in the surgical workplace continues to improve, there is still a large discrepancy in the surgical leadership roles held by women. We aim to provide a tangible pathway for female surgeons early in their careers so they can pursue higher leadership roles.