1347. @Women_in_ID : A Social Media Platform for Advocacy and Amplification of Women in Infectious Diseases

Abstract

Abstract Background In 2015, 39.7% of active infectious diseases (ID) physicians in USA were women. This calculation does not include the many other women professionals in ID such as Advanced Practice Providers, ID pharmacists, researchers in ID and Infection Preventionists. There is no dedicated national platform for women in ID and no Twitter representation of groups dedicated to women in ID. Women in Infectious Disease (WIID) with twitter handle @Women_in_ID was created April 22nd 2021, for women providers in ID to collaborate, promote, and advocate for each other through a social media platform; and to highlight significant issues like gender pay gap, inequity in career advancement and leadership, research funding etc. We sought to explore the social media impact of this account over the last year. Methods A descriptive content analysis of this account from April 2021 to May 1st, 2022 was done to reflect on lessons learned, plan future directions, and highlight some real-world changes that happened after creation of WIID. Twitter analytics were used, and manual review of followers’ accounts and tweet activities were done to assess engagement. Results In 12 months, this account has gained 1709 followers (Image 1). Out of the followers, 109 are twitter accounts of organizations, such as fellowship programs, ID societies and their foundations, ID divisions, and journals. The rest appear to be individuals. Since demographics of followers are not revealed in twitter accounts, this could not be assessed. Table 1 provides detailed twitter analytics and content that got the most engagement each month. During the month of September, the account highlighted 20 nominated profiles (including women from other countries), and several other women in ID with significant historical contributions (Image 2). This content resulted in our highest engagement and new members. Some previously unnoticed women in history had Wikipedia pages created after their work was amplified. Image 1:Women in ID (WIID) twitter profile pageImage 2:Women in Medicine Month call for nominations created to amplify women in ID Conclusion @Women_in_ID is the first and only twitter platform dedicated for women in ID. This platform is accessible to every woman in ID with a twitter account, hence networking, amplification and collaboration transcends local or institutional boundaries. In future, social media work must translate to real life changes to have meaningful impact. Disclosures All Authors: No reported disclosures.