Female Cardiologists Research Articles

Dr. Sivaramakrishna Iyer Padmavati: The Queen of Hearts.

Dr. Sivaramakrishna Iyer Padmavati was the first female cardiologist in India.She set the foundation for cardiovascular treatment in India, going above and beyond to seek extensive cardiovascular education. She overcame gender-based limitations, paving the way for more equitable opportunities for women in India. Her efforts to spread knowledge about cardiology to the government and hospitals simultaneously caused her to advocate healthcare for Indian citizens. She transformed healthcare through hard work, innovative thinking, and unwavering dedication. Her hard work and passion for cardiology transformed healthcare in India.

Radiation Exposure and Protection for (Assumed) Pregnant Interventional Cardiologists and Electrophysiologists.

Concern about fetus radiation dose and assumed health effects remains a barrier for women considering a career in invasive cardiology. However, there is a lack of real-world fetus exposure data that can be used to support career decisions. The purpose of this work was to measure radiation exposure to invasive cardiologists which would contribute to dose to the fetus during pregnancy. Radiation exposure to 42 female and male interventional cardiologists and electrophysiologists was monitored during their clinical routine. Multivariate analysis was used to assess the influences of patient radiation exposure, radioprotective garment material thickness (0.25, 0.35, 0.5 mm Pb equivalent), and cardiologist sex, height, and clinical role on occupational radiation exposure to the abdomen. Exposure to the abdomen of invasive cardiologists increased proportional to patient exposure and decreased predictably with increasing radioprotective material thickness. The median abdomen exposure when covered with a 0.5 mm Pb equivalent radioprotective material over a 40-week period was 0.22 mGy (95th percentile, 0.8 mGy). Physician sex, height, and clinical role did not influence occupational exposure. The use of a 0.5 mm Pb equivalent radioprotective garment covering the abdomen, combined with appropriate radiation safety practices, can ensure that fetus radiation dose is below both US and international limits. Assumed fetus risk due to very low occupational radiation exposure is likely inconsequential in light of other known pregnancy risks.

P020 GENDER AND CARDIOLOGY: EVALUATION OF DISCRIMINATION, HARASSMENT AND LABOR INEQUALITY IN THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC

Introduction: Gender disparity has been a topic of increasing interest and controversy in recent years. In the United States, women represent only 12.6% of cardiologists, a figure that reflects persistent inequalities in this specialty and often leads women to dismiss it as a viable career option. In addition, salary disparity remains an obvious problem, with a trend that tends to favor the male sex. On the other hand, in Japan, female cardiologists face professional limitations due to family and domestic responsibilities that restrict their development and advancement in the profession. Objective: To analyze and understand the perceptions and experiences of discrimination, harassment and work obstacles among cardiologists in the Dominican Republic, with a focus on gender differences. Methods: An observational, descriptive and cross-sectional study was carried out, in which a sample was randomly selected from the directory of the Dominican Society of Cardiology. An online questionnaire was used to collect demographic and work-related information, as well as data on experiences of discrimination, harassment and professional obstacles. Results: A sample of 51 patients was obtained, with an average age of 47.8 years, of whom 56.9% were women. Thirty-six.4% of women reported experiencing discrimination, compared with 13.8% of men. In terms of employment barriers, 62.1% of men reported obstacles related to remuneration, despite having higher monthly earnings compared to women. Of the latter, 50.0% also faced difficulties in this aspect. With respect to work-life balance barriers, 40.9% of women and 13.8% of men reported them. Conclusion: The perception of disparities among cardiologists reveals a trend where men face barriers in economic development, while women struggle to find a work-life balance. This highlights the urgency of implementing proactive strategies to promote gender equality in cardiology and ensure an inclusive and equitable professional environment.

A Novel Approach to Mentorship in Pediatric Cardiology: A Group for Women.

Gender disparities for female physicians in academic medicine are longstanding. Female pediatric cardiologists experience inequities in scholarship opportunities, promotion, leadership positions, and compensation. Mentorship groups have been successfully implemented in other subspecialities with promising results. We created a peer mentorship group for female pediatric cardiologists in the Northeast and completed a needs assessment survey of eligible participants. Our goal was to better understand the current challenges and identify resources to overcome these barriers. Our objectives were to (1) describe the creation of a novel mentorship program for female pediatric cardiologists and trainees in the Northeast United States, and (2) report the results of a formal needs assessment survey of all eligible participants. All female pediatric cardiology fellows and practicing pediatric and adult congenital heart disease specialists from 15 academic centers in New England were invited to join a free group with virtual meetings. A formal needs assessment survey was provided electronically to all eligible members. The vast majority of respondents agreed that the Women in Pediatric Cardiology (WIPC) group is a valuable networking and mentorship experience (90%) and would recommend this group to a colleague (95%). Members have witnessed or experienced inequities in a broad range of settings. Common challenges experienced by respondents include dependent care demands, lack of mentorship, inadequate research support, and inequitable clinical responsibilities. Resources suggested to overcome these barriers include mentorship, sponsorship, transparency in compensation, and physician coaching. Mentorship groups have the potential to address many challenges faced by women in medicine. The WIPC Northeast program provides a forum for community, collaboration, education, and scholarship.

Sex, Age, and Patient Experience in Cardiologist Reviews: A Large-Scale Artificial Intelligence-Enabled Analysis

BackgroundPatients are increasingly using online reviews to evaluate cardiologists. Online reviews can provide insights into factors driving patient satisfaction. Little is known about the effects of age and sex on the patient experience with cardiologists. ObjectivesThe purpose of this study was to apply natural language processing techniques on online reviews to determine the factors underlying positive and negative patient experiences and the effects of age and sex on the patient experience with cardiologists. MethodsMixed effects logistic regression and sentiment analysis were applied to online cardiologist reviews from Healthgrades between 1998 and 2023. The results were then analyzed by sex and age to show trends with respect to rating statistics, sentiment analysis, and frequency of 2-word phrases. ResultsThere were 100,334 online reviews of 9,461 cardiologists. Female cardiologists received lower average ratings compared to male cardiologists and were 34.5% less likely to receive a positive review (OR: 0.655; 95% CI: 0.481-0.893; P = 0.015). Older cardiologists received lower average ratings compared to younger cardiologists (4.145 ± 0.908 vs 4.348 ± 0.795; P < 0.01). Positive reviews were associated with time spent with patients (OR: 1.383; 95% CI: 1.251-1.528; P < 0.01), answering questions (OR: 2.622; 95% CI: 2.324-2.959; P < 0.01), and patients feeling they could trust their providers’ decisions (OR: 2.285; 95% CI: 2.053-2.543; P < 0.01). ConclusionsPositive reviews were associated with cardiologists being comprehensive and patients feeling a sense of trust in the relationship. There was a difference in ratings based on age and sex with female and older cardiologists receiving lower ratings.

Factors Impacting Physician Prognostic Accuracy in Heart Failure Patients With Reduced Left Ventricular Ejection Fraction

BackgroundA recent study showed that the accuracy of heart failure (HF) cardiologists and family doctors to predict mortality in outpatients with HF proved suboptimal, performing less well than models. ObjectivesThe authors sought to evaluate patient and physician factors associated with physician accuracy. MethodsThe authors included outpatients with HF from 11 HF clinics. Family doctors and HF cardiologists estimated patient 1-year mortality. They calculated predicted mortality using the Seattle HF Model and followed patients for 1 year to record mortality (or urgent heart transplant or ventricular assist device implant as mortality-equivalent events). Using multivariable logistic regression, the authors evaluated associations among physician experience and confidence in estimates, duration of patient-physician relationship, patient-physician sex concordance, patient race, and predicted risk, with concordant results between physician and model predictions. ResultsAmong 1,643 patients, 1-year event rate was 10% (95% CI: 8%-12%). One-half of the estimates showed discrepant results between model and physician predictions, mainly owing to physician risk overestimation. Discrepancies were more frequent with increasing patient risk from 38% in low-risk to ∼75% in high-risk patients. When making predictions on male patients, female HF cardiologists were 26% more likely to have discrepant predictions (OR: 0.74; 95% CI: 0.58-0.94). HF cardiologist estimates in Black patients were 33% more likely to be discrepant (OR: 0.67; 95% CI: 0.45-0.99). Low confidence in predictions was associated with discrepancy. Analyses restricted to high-confidence estimates showed inferior calibration to the model, with risk overestimation across risk groups. ConclusionsDiscrepant physician and model predictions were more frequent in cases with perceived increased risk. Model predictions outperform physicians even when they are confident in their predictions. (Predicted Prognosis in Heart Failure [INTUITION]; NCT04009798)

Abstract 18328: A National Survey to Identify the Inequality in the Career Development Between Male and Female Cardiologists in Japan

Background: Equality of training opportunities and job satisfaction are not well studied among Japanese cardiologists, especially among female cardiologists in the invasive subspecialties. Methods: We investigated the career development of cardiologists using a questionnaire sent by e-mail to 14,798 cardiologists belonging to the JCS in September 2022. Feelings of equality in training opportunities and job satisfaction were assessed by examining cardiologists' age, gender and subspecialty. These feelings were compared between male and female cardiologists. Invasive treatment subspecialties included ischemia, arrhythmia, surgery, structural heart disease and emergency. Results: Responses were received from 2,566 cardiologists (17.3%). Female cardiologists (n = 624) were underrepresented in ischemia, cardiac surgery and emergency compared to male cardiologists (n = 1,942) (13.0% vs 29.5%, 2.4% vs 6.2%, 1.0% vs 3.2%, 1.4% vs 2.6%, respectively). Female cardiologists perceived more inequality in training opportunities than male cardiologists (44.1 vs. 33.9%, p=0.0001) and were less satisfied with their work than male cardiologists (71.3 vs 80.8%, p=0.0001). In the invasive subspecialties, female cardiologists felt more inequality than male cardiologists (50.0 vs 36.2%, p&lt;0.001) and were less satisfied with their work than male cardiologists (74.0 vs 81.7%, p=0.001). Although male cardiologists in invasive subspecialties did not feel significantly more unequal and dissatisfied than those in non-invasive subspecialties (p=0.063, p=0.758, respectively), female cardiologists in invasive subspecialties felt more unequal and dissatisfied than those in non-invasive subspecialties (p=0.015, p=0.040, respectively). In invasive subspecialties, cardiologists with family care responsibilities were less satisfied with their work than cardiologists without those responsibilities (84.0% vs. 79.0%, p=0.039). Conclusions: Female cardiologists felt more inequality and dissatisfaction in career development than male cardiologists, especially in invasive subspecialties. Diverse workplaces can promote equality in training opportunities and job satisfaction for both female and male cardiologists.

Abstract 18771: Gender, Geographic and Subspeciality Differences in Mentorship in Cardiology: Results of the Global Mentorship Survey

Introduction: Mentorship is valued among cardiologists for career advancement globally. Hypothesis: We investigated differences in mentorship characteristics, trends and needs based on gender, continent of practice and cardiology subspeciality. Methods: An anonymous online survey was distributed globally to cardiologists, current and prospective cardiology trainees, collecting demographic data, mentoring experiences and best mentorship practice. Categorical variables were compared by Pearson's Chi-squared test. Results: A total 1210 responses, 51% women, 49% men, 0.3% non-binary, with most (33%) from Europe. 57% received mentorship, with no gender differences. Australians (82%) and North Americans (68%) were most likely to receive mentorship, South Americans (43%) and Africans (42%) least likely. Access to mentorship was the most common challenge (70%). Most valued mentor characteristics were trustworthiness, supportiveness and constructive feedback. Mentor ethnicity was deemed irrelevant by majority. More women than men considered their mentors’ gender relevant and placed more importance on work-life balance (p=0.03) and mentoring in pregnancy (p&lt;0.001). Among mentee objectives, professional networking &amp; resource-sharing were most important goals for both genders. Skill development via mentorship was important for both genders but more proceduralists valued this compared to non-proceduralists (53% vs 47% p=0.03). Lack of dedicated time, lack of training/understanding of mentorship and poor communication were key barriers to effective mentorship in both genders. More women than men considered gender differences as a barrier to good mentorship (10% vs 4.4%, p&lt;0.001), Australians and Europeans perceived lack of time, North Americans perceived lack of goal-setting and failure to sponsor as barriers. There was global interest in a mentorship training programme, more among women than men (95% vs 89%, p&lt;0.001). Conclusions: Mentorship is a valued for career and professional development, despite global variations in access to mentors. Most female cardiologists felt mentorship was beneficial to advise work life balance and during pregnancy. Mentoring training needs to be made available globally within cardiology.

Abstract 18955: Post Webinar Survey Responses Regarding Maternity and Legal Rights for Cardiologists

Introduction/Background: Women are under-represented in cardiology and cardiology subspecialties. Work life challenges are often a stated reason why women do not choose cardiology. Pregnancy and motherhood represent a time of significant challenges to women in cardiology due to lack of support and discrimination. The American Heart Association (AHA)Women in Cardiology (WIC) Committee recently held a case-based webinar to increase awareness about the issues, discuss available resources for support, and understand laws protecting women against discrimination. Goals/Aims: The goal of the survey was to understand the current landscape of perceived institutional support during the maternity period and gauge awareness of the laws protecting women against discrimination. Methods/Approach: After the webinar, an email survey was sent to all those who registered on behalf of the AHAWIC Committee within 7days of the event. Results/Data: There were 189registrants for the webinar, of which 29(15%)responded to the survey. Of those who responded, 72%were female, 48%were &lt;40years of age, 33%of the attendees were mothers, and 20%reported fertility issues. Almost all respondents reported working in a hospital-based practice (90%),59%were attending physicians and 38%were trainees. Only 28%reported that their work environment was very supportive of mothers and only 31%were aware of maternal legal rights in the workplace. After the webinar, 76%planned to learn or implement new maternal rights related policies in their workplace (Figure 1). Conclusions: Pregnancy and motherhood represent a challenging time in the career of a female cardiologist or trainee. Perceived support in the workplace is low. Very few women know their legal rights, but a majority had a plan to learn more after the webinar. This survey highlights opportunities for the cardiology community and national societies to help support women cardiologists.

An Indian female cardiologist's journey from 'TAWA' to 'TAVI-transcatheter aortic valve implantation'.

An Indian female cardiologist's journey from 'TAWA' to 'TAVI-transcatheter aortic valve implantation'.

Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement: Variations in Use, Charges, and Geography in the United States

The use of transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) in the United States has been increasing but with variability. We used a 100% sample of Medicare beneficiaries (MBs), from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services database, who underwent TAVR by cardiologists between 2015 and 2019. We stratified data by geographic region, rural/urban areas, and provider's gender. We examined the average number of TAVRs performed per 100,000 MBs, the average number of TAVRs performed per individual cardiologist, and the average submitted charge (ASC) per procedure. The number of TAVR per 100,000MBs was significantly variable among regions in all years (all P≤0.028), except in 2015 (P=0.103), with the highest rates being in the Northeast and the lowest being in the West. The number of TAVRs per cardiologist was significantly different among regions only in 2019 (P=0.04), with the Northeast showing the highest numbers and the South showing the lowest. The ASC was also significantly variable among regions in all years (all P≤0.01). The highest ASC was in the Midwest for all years, whereas the lowest was in the West in 2015 to 2016 and in the South in 2017 to 2019. In all years, the number of TAVRs per cardiologist was higher in urban areas than in rural areas (all P<0.05); however, rural cardiologists had higher ASCs (all P<0.05). The number of TAVR procedures per cardiologist was not significantly different between male and female cardiologists (all P>0.1). Female cardiologists had a significantly higher ASC only in 2015 (P=0.034). In conclusion, there are variations in TAVR use and charges for MBs according to geographic, urban, and rural regions and the performing cardiologist's gender.

National Survey Identifying the Factors Affecting the Career Development of Cardiologists in Japan.

Equality in training opportunities, studying abroad, and satisfaction with work are not well investigated among Japanese cardiologists.Methods and Results: We studied cardiologists' career development using a questionnaire that was emailed to 14,798 cardiologists belonging to the Japanese Circulation Society (JCS) in September 2022. Feelings regarding equality in training opportunities, preferences for studying abroad, and satisfaction with work were evaluated with regard to cardiologists' age, sex, and other confounding factors. Survey responses were obtained from 2,566 cardiologists (17.3%). The mean (±SD) age of female (n=624) and male (n=1,942) cardiologists who responded to the survey was 45.6±9.5 and 50.0±10.6 years, respectively. Inequality in training opportunities was felt more by female than male cardiologists (44.1% vs. 33.9%) and by younger (<45 years old) than older (≥45 years old) (42.0% vs. 32.8%). Female cardiologists were less likely to prefer studying abroad (53.7% vs. 59.9%) and less satisfied with their work (71.3% vs. 80.8%) than male cardiologists. Increased feelings of inequality and lower work satisfaction were investigated among cardiologists who were young, had family care duties, and had no mentors. In the subanalysis, significant regional differences were found in cardiologists' career development in Japan. Female and younger cardiologists felt greater inequality in career development than male and older cardiologists. A diverse workplace may prompt equality in training opportunities and work satisfaction for both female and male cardiologists.

Factors Influencing Acceptance of the Chairperson Position at Annual Scientific Meetings of the Japanese Circulation Society - A Questionnaire Survey in Chugoku District.

Background: The Japanese Circulation Society survey revealed that Japanese female cardiologists exhibited a trend to refuse the chairperson position; however, the causal factors remain uncertain. Methods and Results: We distributed a questionnaire survey among chairpersons of the Chugoku regional meeting in November 2022. The rate of chair acceptance at the annual meeting tended to increase as the chairperson's experience grew (first time chairing a meeting, 25.0%; 2-3 times, 33.3%; 4-5 times, 53.8%; ≥6 times, 70.0%; P=0.021). Conclusions: Providing inexperienced members with the chance to perform the role of chairperson will lead to them accepting to chair annual meetings.

International Registry of Cardiovascular diseases in Women (IROCW): Assessing the feasibility of large data registry in absence of funding and electronic database; initial data from Iraq

Abstract Funding Acknowledgements Type of funding sources: None. Background There is unmet need of sex focused registries to be the first step towards sex focused trials and guidelines. In Iraq due to absent electronic database and research funding, it is challenging to initiate long term cardiovascular registries. Also, for women patients follow up, it is challenging to contact them by male doctors due to cultural causes. Purpose IROCW aims to portrait the demographics focusing on sex-specific risk factors, presentation, in-hospital and 1-month outcomes of women admitted to cardiac centers or cardiology wards in general hospitals. Patients with any of the following diagnoses were included in the registry: IHD (ACS admitted to CCU or chronic coronary syndromes admitted for elective catheterization), arrhythmia, heart failure and valvular heart disease. Methods Under the Umbrella of Iraqi Scientific Council of Cardiology, a female interventional cardiologist was among leaders of the study, so, she enhanced the recruitment of female trainees besides male doctors to participate in data collection and patients follow up to bridge the cultural barriers. IROCW is a prospective, multicentre, cross-sectional study. Data collection using paper forms was done by investigators then data entry started and stopped after seven weeks to assess feasibility and reliability of data entry into google form that was designed for the registry. If the registry is feasible using paper forms and google form, then the next phase will be international and assessing 12-month cardiovascular outcomes (target number=10,000 patients; total number in all four arms of registry). Results n=150, mean age=60 years, 89.3% of patients reside in urban areas. Women were mostly married (67.8%) or widowed (25.5%). They were illiterate (47.3%) or having primary education (34.7%). 60% of women's family total income&amp;lt;500 USD. Most common risk factor was hypertension while menopause and gestational hypertension were most common sex-specific risk factors. In-hospital echocardiography was done in 26%. In-hospital heart failure was reported in 20% of patients. Aspirin, P2Y12 inhibitors, heparin, and statin were used in: 85.8%, 60.4%, 35.4% and 87.9% respectively. B-blockers, ACEI/ARBs and MRA were used in 71.1%, 62.8%, and 7.2% respectively. Dietary instructions as indicated on discharge was done properly in 96.6%, while smoking cessation counseling and referral for cardiac rehabilitation were not done properly. At 1-month follow up, patients were reachable in 91.5%. Conclusion Illiteracy and poor socio-economic status in women raise the importance of dedicated approach required for health education and care. Despite absent electronic data base and lack of research funding in Iraq, this study is feasible. The next international phase (Iraq and Sudan) will be initiated, so, data from LMIC from both Asia and Africa will be available to bridge knowledge gaps in CVD in women from these countries.

Cardiovascular Imaging in Women with Heart Diseases, A local Clinical Practice Guidelines for Pakistani Population

This is the first time that a local preliminary document on gender differences in CVDs has been initiated in Pakistan. International forum has been highlighting significant gender and ethnicity in CVDs. So different countries from world took the initiative to develop their local guideline or clinical scientific statements on gender differences with different socio-cultural and educational background for their own countries. GRFW in collaboration with Scientific Council of Women with Heart Disease PCS Pakistan floated this idea to develop a local guideline in various aspects CVDs for our own women population. In this regard different topics were assigned to different groups including mostly female cardiologists, senior gynecologists/obstetricians and radiologist from all over Pakistan. Primary objectives of this write up on Cardiac Imaging in Women is to provide a local clinical practice guideline for the assessment and management of CVD that will improve and standardize the physicians’ decision making for Pakistani women population. In the setting of growing awareness of providing personalized precision medicine, addressing sex differences in CVD is a key goal. The intention is to inform cardiologists, non-cardiologist physicians’, general practitioners, and, obstetrician/gynecologists about the reasonable use and understanding of technologies to help in proper approach to their treating women with HDs and when to send them for cardiac specialist diagnostic center. As we could not find our own local data on cardiac imaging to report at present, most recommendations on cardiac imaging used has been taken from international literatures (which we have found feasible, readily available, and some cost effective approach in our money constraint society which can be followed in our population) and also which were published within the past decade were given priority. In this document, we discuss the role of using different cardiac imaging modalities, with a focus on diseases which are unique/or occur more in women. So, five women specific topics more commonly seen in our population were selected currently, which are (stable/unstable angina and ACS, MINOCA), non-ischemic CMP, HD during pregnancy, cardio-oncology, and connective tissue diseases (CTD). In these topics we have tried to used our own local incidences and prevalence of these diseases in our community/internationally on gender basis and have highlighted the availability/limitations of cardiac imaging in our society. The updated recommendations in women have been taken from international guidelines. Graphs and tables layout has been taken from abroad literatures and made some few changes according to its use in our population. You will find this a preliminary review document which will be simple to read, have updated approach in evaluating the diagnosis of HD in women easily. For current cost effectiveness issues for our population will be taken up by PCS to Health ministries of Pakistan for its making it easily availability with cheap cost so to benefit our female (very neglected and ill informed) with CVD population.

Patient-Centered Insights and Biases Regarding Cardiologists Via Online Review Platform Analysis.

Background Online cardiologist reviews, such as those on the Yelp website, are a frequently used method for patients to find a cardiologist. It remains unknown how bias may influence such reviews. Our objectives for this study were to (1) determine which cardiologist- or practice-related factors influence the overall rating of cardiologists and patient satisfaction and (2) discover any associations between sex and race with the overall rating of cardiologists or with cardiologist- or practice-related factors. Methods and Results Cardiologist Yelp reviews from practices in the United States from 2007 to 2020 were analyzed. A total of 563 reviews were coded for positive and negative themes. Binary logistic regression was used to determine whether certain factors increased the likelihood of high ratings. Chi-squared tests were used to determine associations between sex and race with certain factors and overall cardiologist ratings. Cardiologists were more likely to receive higher ratings when reviewers noted the characteristics of competency/knowledge base and thoroughness, positive interactions with staff, and when the cardiologist's name was mentioned in the review. Negative interactions with staff were associated with lower ratings. Female cardiologists received lower ratings and more negative mentions of cardiologist-patient communication than expected. White and Black cardiologists received lower ratings than expected compared with other racial groups. Conclusions Patient-perceived cardiologist competency, thoroughness, and positive staff interactions were associated with positive reviews in online assessments. Sex and racial differences were also found. Further research must be done to confirm these findings and to understand the association of online reviews with clinical care and patient outcomes.

Labor Equity, Gender Violence and Cardiovascular Risk Factors in Cardiology Specialists

Background: Cardiology specialists may suffer from stressors that affect their health, such as labor inequity and gender violence, in addition to traditional cardiovascular risk factors (RF) for cardiovascular disease (CVD). Objective: The aim of this study was to detect the level of well-being, labor equity and gender violence and to establish the prevalence of CRF in cardiology specialists in Argentina. Methods: This was an observational, cross-sectional study through an anonymous survey conducted in September 2021 among specialists included in the Argentine Society of Cardiology registry. Data on labor equity, labor and domestic violence and CRF were collected. Results: Six hundred and eleven professionals (40.5% women) participated in the survey: 63% worked more than 44 hours per week; 3 out of 10 were on duty for 12 or 24 hours (38.5% women vs. 28% men, p&lt;0.01). Seventy-two percent of respondents considered the workload excessive while 70% thought their payment was not in accordance with the academic training. Half of female cardiologists surveyed considered that motherhood limited professional development in the specialty. Work-related violence was more frequent in female cardiologists (58% vs. 10% p &lt;0.01), as was domestic violence (16% vs. 6% p &lt;0.01). Men were more overweight (67% men vs. 34% women, p &lt;0.01) and obese (16% vs. 11%, p &lt;0.01) and women were more sedentary (53% vs. 45%, p &lt;0.01). Conclusion: The disconformity in working conditions experienced by both genders was evident, as was the evidence of higher workplace and domestic gender violence in the female specialists surveyed. Despite having knowledge about CVD and cardiovascular RF, the surveyed specialists have a high prevalence of RF.

Gender differences in cardiology professionals: A Latin American Survey.

Background:Gender-based differences among cardiology professionals have been reported in North America and Europe. However, the perspective of Latin American cardiologists remains unexplored.Objectives:The objectives of the study were to analyze the gender gap perspective among cardiologists from Latin America.Methods:A cross-sectional study using an online survey directed to Latin American cardiologists from five different cardiology societies. The survey included questions on demographic data, professional development in the field of cardiology, and perceived barriers in clinical practice. ­Results:A total of 240 professionals were surveyed, of which 41.7% were women (100) and 58.3% were men (140). The majority of women tend to work in the subfields of clinical cardiology and cardiovascular imaging. Women were underrepresented as heads of departments, earn less, and report less work satisfaction than men. The barriers that female cardiologists face at their workplace include labor discrimination, sexual harassment, family-related concerns, and lack of career development.Conclusions:The survey points toward the prevalence of a gender gap among cardiologists in Latin America, which is primarily driven by labor discrimination, sexual harassment, family-related concerns, and lack of career development among female cardiologists. Actions aimed at addressing this issue should be considered by different parties.

Abstract 10572: Awareness and Feasibility of Women Chairing Cardiology Sessions in Scientific Meetings: A Nationwide Survey by the Japanese Circulation Society

Introduction: Diversity and inclusion remain a concern in the field of cardiology. Female cardiologists have less opportunity to chair sessions in scientific meetings than men. However, cardiologists’ awareness and perspectives on feasibility of chairing sessions is poorly understood. Methods: A web-based survey on awareness regarding the commitment of chairing sessions was sent to 14,798 certificated cardiologists registered with the Japanese Circulation Society (JCS). Results: A total of 3,412 valid responses were obtained, including 523 women and 2,889 men. Female cardiologists exhibited less interest in serving as chairpersons in Japanese and English sessions (71% women vs. 82% men, P&lt;0.001, 30% women vs. 40% men, P&lt;0.001). Influencing factors of chair acceptance in Japanese sessions for female cardiologists were being a cardiologist for over 10 years (odds ratio [OR] 1.84, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.02-3.33), experience studying abroad (OR 3.35, 95%CI 1.93-5.81) and chairing sessions (OR 8.39, 95%CI 5.48-12.9), having a Doctor of Philosophy (OR 2.82, 95%CI 1.09-7.31), presence of four or more female cardiovascular specialists in the hospital (OR 1.70, 95%CI 1.10-2.61) and of role models (OR 2.86, 95%CI 1.93-4.24), and awareness of the JCS chairperson’s manual (OR 10.7, 95%CI 6.67-17.1). The receiver operating characteristic curve revealed that the number of female cardiovascular specialists in a hospital was a more sensitive predictor of chair acceptance among male than female cardiologists. Conclusions: Female cardiologists were less likely to accept chairing sessions compared with male cardiologists and the presence of female cardiovascular specialists positively influenced chair acceptance.

Abstract 11219: Female Patients Attending Female Cardiologist-Led Heart Clinic in Iraq: Clinical Landscape and Echocardiographic Data

Introduction: In Iraq, traditional and tribal rules prevent many women from having access to healthcare unless being managed exclusively by female doctors. So, lack of female cardiologists (FC) in Iraq deprived many women from proper cardiovascular care.Considering the absent Women′s Heart Clinics in Iraq and lack of data on female cardiac patients,we sought to provide data regarding demographic and echocardiographic characteristics of women attending a female cardiologist-led heart clinic (FC-LHC) in a first report from Iraq Methods: Women who attended a FC-LHC were included, clinical and echocardiographic characteristics were recorded. Results: n=213, mean age (46.5±16.6)year.Hypertension (HT) and dyslipidemia were most reported risk factors.History of gestational HT was most common sex-specific risk factor (figA).Women′s comorbidities differs with their social status as HT, DM, IHD and dyslipidemia were highest in widowed women (91.3%, 43.5%, 21.7% and 39.1% respectively). Consuming fast food≥4/week was highest in divorced (33.3%) and single women (23.1%). OCP was used by 5.2% of women; in general and 10.3% of married women at reproductive age; in particular. Prevalence of DM,IHD and LV dysfunction differs according to women′s education (figB). Palpitation (46.5%) and dyspnoea (30%) were most common presentations. Cardio-Obstetric and Cardio-Oncology services were offered in 5.2% and 5.6% respectively (figC). LV diastolic dysfunction and mitral regurgitation were most common echocardiographic abnormalities (figD). Conclusion: Younger women&lt;65 years were more frequently attending FC-LHC.Prior history of gestational HT was the commonest sex-specific cardiovascular risk factor. Increasing diversity in cardiology workforce and establishing Women′s Heart Clinics that include FC are crucial in Iraq to promote focused cardiovascular care and education and to provide data for sex-specific research in cardiovascular management and outcomes