S1264 Evaluation of Gender Disparity in Gastroenterology Societies' Leadership

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: Women comprise of one-third of gastroenterology trainees and only 13% of practicing gastroenterologists. Despite these numbers increasing over the years, women are still underrepresented in leadership positions. Involvement in society leadership plays a role in advancement in academic medicine leadership positions. A study revealed that between 2008 and 2017, women held fewer than 20% of the years serving as president in medical specialty societies. We aimed to evaluate the current percentage of women currently holding leadership positions in national gastroenterology societies in the United States. METHODS: Major national gastroenterology and hepatology societies were identified, including American College of Gastroenterology (ACG), American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ASGE), and American Gastroenterological Association (AGA). Members of the society governing boards and society committees were reviewed, and the number of females and males holding these positions were recorded. RESULTS: Women hold approximately 21.2% of leadership positions on national gastroenterology governing boards, with the following percentages for each society: ASGE 33.3%; AGA 16.7%; ACG 13.6% (Table 1). All current presidents (2019–2020) are male. Overall, only 31% of committee chairs are held by a woman (Table 2). Review of female membership in each society revealed: AGA 26%, ACG 19.5%, ASGE 16%. Among the 3 societies, only ACG and AGA have committees dedicated to addressing the disparity of women in gastroenterology and to promoting women members within the society. ASGE has a special interest group dedicated to promoting women in endoscopy, but no subcommittee. CONCLUSION: Gender disparity is a long-standing issue in medicine, particularly in gastroenterology, however, this appears to be improving. Women made up 40% of 1st year GI fellows for the 2018–19 academic year, which is a 10% increase over the last 10 years. With the continued rise in women in GI fellowship programs, emphasis needs to be placed on supporting women in societal involvement and leadership opportunities to ensure improved representation in the field. Further assessment of the barriers to women obtaining leadership positions and commitment to increase women representation in these societies is needed.Table 1.: Percentage of women holding positions in governing boards in national gastroenterology and hepatology societies during 2019–2020Table 2.: Women in leadership within committees during 2019–2020