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Abstract

We appreciate the letter to the editor written by Drs VanWagner and Issaka in response to our article in Gastroenterology.1VanWagner L.B. et al.Gastroenterology. 2021; 160: 2201-2202Abstract Full Text Full Text PDF Scopus (2) Google Scholar They are correct in their critique of our study and in the manner in which they connected implicit biases of our approach to the historic and ongoing barriers to success faced by women and underrepresented minority (URM) groups. Unless you have experienced the journey of a woman or URM in medicine, it is impossible to truly understand or even recognize the impact of systemic bias. A larger number of division chiefs had been solicited, and these 14 were those who responded to requests for structured interviews on a rolling basis. Of these 14 division chiefs, 4 were from URM groups and 2 were women. The underrepresentation of women and URM groups reflects the current state of underrepresentation of women and URM groups in this leadership position in the gastroenterology divisions, as pointed out by Drs VanWagner and Issaka. We acknowledge the lack of diversity in authorship for this article, which was certainly not intentional but rather reflected the individuals involved with the research projects at that time. We recognize this may have inadvertently contributed to reinforcing the glass ceiling and sticky floor for women and URM groups in gastroenterology leadership. As leaders in gastroenterology and in our own institutions, each of the authors are involved in focused efforts to counter health injustice, health disparities, institutional bias, and promotion of both women and URM groups. We want to be part of the solution and not part of the problem, and we fully support being more intentional and acting proactively to counter current status. We hope that the article is helpful for all young faculty in their pursuit of leadership positions in academia, and we pledge to work to change the status quo. Confronting our own biases, although difficult, is appreciated and motivating.“In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies but the silence of our friends.”—Martin Luther King Jr The Path to Gastroenterology and Hepatology Leadership: Inadvertently Perpetuating the Glass Ceiling and Sticky FloorGastroenterologyVol. 160Issue 6PreviewWe read with great interest the recent commentary on behalf of the American Gastroenterological Association Division Chiefs Consortium on the “Path to Gastroenterology Leadership.”1 This article provides important insights into the process of seeking and securing a major leadership role in gastroenterology and hepatology (GIH), a topic of great interest to early and mid-career faculty, ourselves included. As the authors state, “although these are challenging times to lead, they also provide a tremendous impetus and opportunity to identify and train a new generation of high-performing leaders to define the future of our field.” Therefore, we believe that it is critical to acknowledge that the article, while well-intentioned, inadvertently reinforces the phenomena of the “glass ceiling” and “sticky floor” for women and underrepresented minority (URM)∗ groups in achieving GIH leadership positions. Full-Text PDF