The proportion of women graduating from medical school has increased from 6.9 percent in 1966 to 43.6 percent in 2016, according to the Association of American Medical Colleges. But only 22 percent of full professors in clinical departments of medical schools are women, and women comprise 13 percent of permanent chairs among clinical departments of medical schools in North America. What are the prospects for gender equality in the field of academic medicine?  

This was the topic of a feature article in American Society of Hematology Clinical News. The article included interviews with researchers who study contributing factors to gender imbalances in the medical profession, design interventions to correct them, and help women reach the same levels of success as their male counterparts. 

Molly Carnes, MD, MS, professor, Geriatrics and Gerontology and Jean Manchester Biddick Professor of Women's Health Research, explained that she was inspired to shift her research to understanding and interrupting gender bias in medicine when she observed that she was the only women who held tenure in the department at the time of her promotion, whereas 40 percent of her medical class had been women. 

“That observation intrigued me, much more so than the benchtop research I was doing. So, I redirected my focus to dig into the interventions that could foster better opportunities for women and other underrepresented groups in STEMM [science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and medicine] fields. Particularly, I wanted to help these individuals become leaders in their field,” said Dr. Carnes. 

Resources:

• "Leveling the Playing Field: Can We Achieve Gender Equality in Medicine?," ASH Clinical News, July 1, 2018

Photo (top): Dr. Molly Carnes speaks during 2015 Department of Medicine Research Day. Photo credit: Clint Thayer/Department of Medicine