Academic Leadership Positions Research Articles

Abdominal Transplant Surgeons: The Lack of Female Surgeons and People From Underrepresented Racial and Ethnic Minority Groups in Academic and Clinical Leadership.

The demographic disparities among surgeons in academic leadership positions is well documented. We aimed to characterize the present demographic details of abdominal transplant surgeons who have achieved academic and clinical leadership positions. We reviewed the 2022-2023 American Society of Transplant Surgeons membership registry to identify 1007 active abdominal transplant surgeons. Demographic details (academic and clinical titles) were collected and analyzed using the chi-square test, the Fisher exact test, and t tests. Multinomial logistic regressions were conducted. Female surgeons (P < .001) and surgeons from racial-ethnic minorities (P = .027) were more likely to be assistants or associates rather than full professors. White male surgeons were more likely to be full professors than were White female (P < .001), Asian female (P = .008), and Asian male surgeons (P = .005). There were no Black female surgeons who were full professors. The frequency of full professorship increased with surgeon age (P < .001). Male surgeons were more likely to hold no academic titles (P < .001). Female surgeons were less likely to be chief of transplant(P = .025), chief of livertransplant (P = .001), chief of pancreas transplant (P = .037), or chair of surgery (P = .087, significance at 10%). Chief of kidney transplant was the most common clinical position held by a surgeon from a racial or ethnic minority group. Female surgeons were more likely to hold no clinical titles (P = .001). The underrepresentation of women and people from racial and ethnic minority groups in academic and clinical leadership positions in the field of abdominal transplant surgery remains evident. White male physicians are more likely to obtain full professorship, and they comprise most of the clinical leadership positions overall. A continued push for representative leadership is needed.

Reflections on statistical leadership: Summary of a panel discussion at the WSC 20231

What qualities are needed by statisticians to achieve top leadership positions in academia, business, industry and government? Five leaders from statistical societies, national and international statistical offices, and academia share their experiences. They respond to five specific questions. Firstly, is leadership just needed by top management or do all statisticians have a role? If so, what is it? Secondly, do statisticians naturally make good leaders? What new skills do they need to acquire? What skills advantages do they have? Thirdly, the panel consider the question: did you work for people who were not good leaders? How did they fall short? What good role models did panellists have? And then, is it harder for women, and for other under-represented groups? And finally they were asked: what message do you have for young statisticians aspiring to leadership roles?

The narratives of Chinese women academics: exploring gendered career trajectories for those who are not leaders

ABSTRACT Despite women academics reaching higher positions, in institutional hierarchies they still face multiple tensions that hinder reaching leadership positions. 1 This study explores the perception of leadership among Chinese women academics who currently do not hold academic leadership positions. A feminist critical discourse analysis of 14 Chinese women academics’ narratives, using Butlerian theory, indicates that institutional discourses have been shaped predominantly by men’s norms and preferences, creating challenges for women assuming leadership responsibilities. The findings show that women and men academics appear to have different career trajectories, with men taking on more administrative roles and advancing further in their academic careers. For many women, leadership conflicts with family obligations, as families often take priority, consistent with gender norms. This study also reveals how social and institutional regulatory power, such as gender norms and institutional discourses, constitutes and shapes a gendered structure of academic leadership positions in Chinese universities.

Academic accomplishments of Black neurosurgeons in the United States.

Neurosurgery has remained relatively homogeneous in terms of racial and gender diversity, trailing behind national demographics. Less than 5% of practicing neurosurgeons in the United States identify as Black/African American (AA). Research and academic productivity are highly emphasized within the field and are crucial for career advancement at academic institutions. They also serve as important avenues for mentorship and recruitment of diverse trainees and medical students. This study aimed to summarize the academic accomplishments of AA neurosurgeons by assessing publication quantity, h-index, and federal grant funding. One hundred thirteen neurosurgery residency training programs accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education in 2022 were included in this study. The American Society of Black Neurosurgeons registry was reviewed to analyze the academic metrics of self-identified Black or AA academic neurosurgeons. Data on the academic rank, leadership position, publication quantity, h-index, and race of neurosurgical faculty in the US were obtained from publicly available information and program websites. Fifty-five AA and 1393 non-AA neurosurgeons were identified. Sixty percent of AA neurosurgeons were fewer than 10 years out from residency training, compared to 37.4% of non-AA neurosurgeons (p = 0.001). AA neurosurgeons had a median 32 (IQR 9, 85) publications compared to 52 (IQR 22, 122) for non-AA neurosurgeons (p = 0.019). AA neurosurgeons had a median h-index of 12 (IQR 5, 24) compared to 16 (IQR 9, 31) for non-AA colleagues (p = 0.02). Following stratification by academic rank, these trends did not persist. No statistically significant differences in the median amounts of awarded National Institutes of Health funding (p = 0.194) or level of professorship attained (p = 0.07) were observed between the two cohorts. Racial disparities between AA and non-AA neurosurgeons exist in publication quantity and h-index overall but not when these groups are stratified by academic rank. Given that AA neurosurgeons comprise more junior faculty, it is expected that their academic accomplishments will increase as more enter academic practice and current neurosurgeons advance into more senior positions.

Gender mainstreaming in Albanian higher education institutions

Gender equality is a fundamental human right and the foundation for a sustainable, peaceful, and prosperous world. Achieving gender equality and women's empowerment is integral to each sustainable development goal. Higher education and research institutions must create a working environment and organisational culture based on equal opportunities and the promotion of good relations based on protected characteristics such as gender, race, disability, or age. The paper aims to examine the experiences of Albanian universities regarding gender mainstreaming. The aim is to understand the level of commitment of Albanian universities to achieving gender equality and to identify gaps and weaknesses. The analysis was based methodologically on gender indicators from several public and non-public Albanian universities and statistical indicators published by INSTAT for all Albanian universities. The analysis focused on gender indicators regarding access to education, progress in career and gender representation in decision-making bodies. The paper found that while implementing a gender mainstreaming strategy is important and shows progress, there are still many challenges. Horizontal segregation is still present. Women are less represented at the top position of academic career progression than their average presence among teaching staff. They remain underrepresented in academic and administrative leadership and decision-making positions in universities. This diagnosis allows for evident actual measures, reinforces existing structures, and defines goals based on the needs detected.

Characteristics and academic career outcomes of Godina Fellowship recipients

The American Society for Reconstructive Microsurgery (ASRM) sponsors the Godina Fellowship to expand the careers of talented early career microsurgeons. This study characterizes the scholarly impact and academic career outcomes of Godina Fellows. The ASRM provided a list of Godina Fellows since program inception (1993 – 2020). An Internet based search obtained demographic, academic pedigree, and scholarly impact metrics. Curriculum vitae were reviewed to characterize future career outcomes including academic leadership positions. Of the 28 Godina Fellows, most were men (96%) and from the United States (61%). The average age of selection was 44 ​± ​4 years. Training pedigrees consisted primarily of plastic surgery residency training (93%) followed by orthopedic surgery (3%) and otolaryngology (3%). 32% completed reconstructive microsurgery fellowship training, 25% completed hand fellowship training, and 32% had no sub-specialty fellowship training. A minority of Fellows had a PhD (32%) and Master's Degree (14%). The average h-index was 33 ​± ​11 resulting from 160 ​± ​90 peer-reviewed manuscripts cited 3998 ​± ​2516 times. At the time of selection, Godina fellows had an average of 65 ​± ​42 peer-reviewed manuscripts. Most selected academic careers (79%), including 43% serving as chief of a sub-specialty service line (25%) or chair of a division or department (18%). Godina Fellowship recipients make important contributions to the field of reconstructive microsurgery through research impact and leadership at academic departments.

Current situation and barriers to women’s leadership in health care education in Saudi Arabia: A cross-sectional study

BackgroundThe aims of the current study were to explore the true representation of female academic staff who have advanced to leadership positions in Saudi health academic institutions and to determine the possible barriers to women’s advancement to leadership positions in academia. MethodologyThis was a cross-sectional study conducted between August 2022 and August 2023 using an adapted self-reported online questionnaire via Google form. Data was analyzed descriptively and comparatively by presenting frequencies with percentages besides means with standard deviations across various background categories and comparing them using student t test. ResultsA total of 115 educators in health care professions participated in the study, three fifths of them were Saudi and female, with the majority being married and employed by government organizations. The most impactful structural challenges for female leadership included the centralization of decision-making within the institution, unclear organizational bylaws for leadership qualifications and appointment processes, and the existence of a wide range of administrative units. The prevailing belief that men possess superior capacity and management skills compared to women in leadership roles and the reluctance to accept women’s authority by their subordinates were identified as the most influential culture challenges for female leadership. Most influential personality-related challenges included difficulty of balancing professional responsibilities with family obligations, stress and tension arising from reconciling the needs of subordinates with organizational goals and the complexity of traveling for work. ConclusionsThe study identified the most influential structural, culture, and personality-related barriers and other potential perceived challenges faced by female leadership. A collective effort involving academic institutions, leadership, and relevant stakeholders is critical to address these barriers. Academic institutions must eliminate these challenges to utilize female leaders’ talent fully, as they contribute unique perspectives and skills to their institutions.

When Taking Pay off the Table: A Qualitative Study of Gender Equity for Academic Leaders in the US Military.

Although gender inequity persists globally in academic leadership positions, the United States Military has equitable pay and, in academic pediatrics, has equitable gender representation in leadership positions. To better understand how the US Military framework affects physician leaders, pediatricians were interviewed to illuminate the factors that facilitated their success and what barriers they faced in their career. In 2022, following institutional review board approval, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 13 total participants (69% female, 31% male) serving as general pediatricians or pediatric subspecialists in the US Military. These pediatricians were in leadership positions of military academic medicine across seven graduate medical education (GME) sites. The interviews examined the leaders' perceptions of facilitators and barriers to their success. The authors analyzed the interviews using Acker's theory of gendered organizations as a theoretical framework, which explains embedded gender roles within work environments. Drawing on the theory of gendered organizations, the authors identified that participants described several facilitators to their success, including the availability of mentorship/sponsorship, inclusive leadership, and early and persistent exposure to women leaders in GME training and beyond. Because medicine's ideal worker was normed around the traditional roles of men, men observed and women experienced barriers to leadership success around issues related to childbearing, maternity leave, and microaggressions. This study revealed that equitability for pediatric GME leadership in the military heavily relied on structures and support created by former leaders and mentors. Isolating these structures within a unique context of military academic medicine can illuminate physicians' experiences to address barriers and better support equitable leadership roles in both military and civilian academic medicine.

Gender Inequality in Leadership Positions in Neurology and Neurosurgery Journals and Societies

Gender inequalities persist in several areas of medicine, despite the growing number of female doctors and medical students. In this study, we aimed to reveal the gender inequality in the top journals' editorial boards and national societies' leadership positions in the field of neurology and neurosurgery. This is a cross-sectional study that uses public information accessed through the internet via journals' and academic societies' public websites. The medical journals are selected and included according to their h5-index in the field of neurology and neurosurgery. We evaluated the gender composition of the editorial boards and academic societies' leadership positions. The female editorial board member ratio was 44.0% in the top 10 neurology journals. However, this ratio was significantly decreased to 29.7% in the other journals(p<0.001). The top 10 neurosurgery journals had a female editorial board member ratio of 13.7%. This ratio was significantly decreased to 5.3% in the other 10 journals with lower h5-index(p<0.001). A significantly lower number of female individuals are present in the editorial boards of the neurosurgery journals than in neurology(p<0.001). The female president or delegate ratio was 19.3% in the WFN-affiliated countries, and it was 4% in the WFNS-affiliated countries. In conclusion, there is a significant gender inequality among editorial board members. The position of neurosurgical societies and journals is far different than the field of neurology. Furthermore, these findings should be evaluated as a continuum of the gender inequality in the professional societies' executive boards and delegates representing the national academical community.

Documenting Methodological Procedures in a Qualitative Pilot Study: Exploring the Journey of Women Reaching Leadership Positions in Academia

Pilot studies are crucial for any research. While publishing the results of pilot studies in quantitative research is common, it is less common in qualitative research. This pilot study precedes the main research on the differences in perception between men and women deans on how they perceive the key success factors for women to be leaders in academia. In this pilot study, male and female deans were used as participants, consistent with the main research. Besides that, the aim was to contribute towards increased methodological knowledge as well as awareness of conducting pilot studies in qualitative research. Furthermore, in qualitative research, pilot studies are important to show the trustworthiness of the qualitative research. In determining trustworthiness, researcher triangulation is an important aspect of qualitative research to assess concerns on rigour such as reliability and credibility. The data was collected through in-depth semi-structured interviews via Google Meet, with one male and one female dean, as the main research focused on exploring perceptions towards the leadership journey of female leaders in academia. This study contributed to increasing the trustworthiness of the main study. The pilot study aided in advancing the main research and helped researchers update their coding and interview probing skills. There were some modifications made to the research instrument as the researchers found that the number of questions needed to be reduced in order to get in-depth responses from the participants within the stipulated time. Moreover, some modifications were made to the language of the interview to enhance clarity. The documentation of the experiences of the qualitative research methodology not only helped researchers of this study but also can be used as a guide for researchers who intend to pursue the qualitative studies.

Gender Representation Among Ophthalmology Fellowship Directors in 2022

Women are underrepresented in several medical specialties, including ophthalmology. Reducing disparities is critical in diversifying perspectives and increasing equity within ophthalmology, both of which can ultimately improve care delivery. We examined ophthalmic fellowship programs directors in the United States to investigate gender disparities by subspecialty. Cross-sectional study. This was a retrospective cross-sectional study of ophthalmology fellowship program directors in academic medical centers. The primary outcome measure was a descriptive analysis of current fellowship directors in 2022 when stratified by subspecialty and demographic features. Analysis was conducted on 358 fellowship directors in the United States. Twenty-nine percent of directors were women. Female directors had significantly fewer years since residency graduation compared with male peers (17 vs 24; P < .001); however, no differences were observed by program type (P = .896) or location (P = 0.104). Differences in female director representation were observed by subspecialty (P < .001), with the greatest percentage of women in pediatric ophthalmology (54%), other (oncology and pathology) fellowships (50%), and medical retina (40%). The subspecialties with the lowest percentage of female directors were oculoplastic and reconstructive surgery (13%) surgical retina and vitreous (16%). There are disparities in female representation in academic leadership positions across ophthalmic subspecialties. Addressing this difference may have critical impacts on career advancement and opportunities available for marginalized groups in medicine.

A European perspective on structural barriers to women's career progression in neuroscience.

Despite an unprecedented number of women entering neuroscience, and decades-long recruitment and retention efforts, women continue to be disproportionately underrepresented in European academic tenure-track faculty and leadership positions. This Perspective focuses on two major career points where women exhibit diminished representation: the transition from postdoctoral fellow to junior professor and the promotion to more senior (tenured) faculty positions. We discuss below recently implemented country-specific and Europe-wide initiatives supporting equal career progression and propose further concrete steps to be taken to break down the structural barriers that prevent women's progression up the academic career ladder as European neuroscientists.

Are Differences in Research Performance Creating a Glass Ceiling for Women Faculty in Business Schools?

Despite prevailing discourses around equal opportunity and inclusivity, gender disparity still exists in academic ranks and leadership positions. The authors reviewed 3290 faculty members within the thirty top-ranked business schools around the world, using the Scopus database to retrieve the h-index, number of publications, and citations for each faculty member. They examined the distribution of male and female faculty members across geographical regions, academic ranks, and subspecialties while comparing academic performance. The authors found evident disparities between male and female faculty across all domains, with women occupying a disproportionately lower number of academic ranks and leadership positions despite no significant differences in performance metrics. The greatest disparity was among the professor rank; less than one-fifth of all business professors were female.

Diversity Within the Field of Orthopedic Sports Medicine: A Systematic Review.

Orthopedic surgery is among the least diverse specialties in medicine. This systematic review analyzes gender, racial, and ethnic diversity within orthopedic sports medicine and aims to raise awareness and provide guidance for future strategies that support underrepresented minorities in medicine (URMs) and women in joining the orthopedic sports medicine workforce. We hypothesize that at all tiers of training, there is a lack of gender, racial, and ethnic parity in academic rank, leadership positions, and research productivity. A search of all published literature in the English language from PubMed, Embase, Cochrane, and Scopus databases, between January 1, 2010, and August 18, 2023, was performed according to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. Included studies presented demographics regarding diversity within orthopedic sports medicine and provided trends in applicants, attendings, leadership, and/or research. Bias was assessed using the Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (STROBE) study checklist. Thirteen studies published between 2016 and 2023 with STROBE scores 15.5 to 21.5 (70.5% to 97.7%) met criteria, and pertinent data were extracted. The percent of female orthopedic sports medicine surgeons from 2010 to 2019 increased from 5% (n = 138) to 6% (n = 206) with a compound annual growth rate of 0.2% (r2 = 0.97; p < 0.001). Females and URMs are underrepresented at the highest levels of orthopedic sports medicine leadership including department chair (female: 0% [n = 0]), division chief (female: 4% [n = 4]; URM: 3% [n = 3]), and fellowship director (female: 3.3% [n = 3]; URM: 4.4% [n = 4]). Studies from prominent orthopedic sports medicine journals (American Journal of Sports Medicine, Arthroscopy, Journal of Shoulder and Elbow Surgery, and Sports Health) show a 12.1% increase in female involvement in orthopedic sports medicine research from 1972 to 2018; however, this increase captures 59.3% (n = 2,953) females with degrees other than an MD. Although increasingly more females and underrepresented minorities are joining orthopedic sports medicine, the rate of diversification remains slow and current involvement in leadership and research is minimal. Targeted efforts aimed at increasing research opportunities and inspiring interest through mentorship for URMs and females in orthopedics is essential to drive change toward parity. Level IV. Systematic Review. See Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.

Kîyokêwin (Visiting), leadership, and consenting to learn in public: indigenizing social sciences and humanities at the Royal Military College of Canada

ABSTRACT Espousing Indigenous Research Methods including Kîyokêwin/Visiting, beadwork as an embodied pedagogical and research practice, and storytelling, this article explores the authors’ experiences working in senior academic leadership positions to support indigenization at the Royal Military College of Canada. The authors consent to learn in public and discuss opportunities for role-modeling individual leadership in institutional contexts and for building small ‘safe enough’ spaces that generate energy and momentum that have the possibility of supporting broader-scale indigenization efforts. The authors understand the call to indigenize education as a non-negotiable imperative, and argue that it is an ethical responsibility for all who live in Canada to engage intentionally in concrete acts of reconciliation – in (re)building relationships with Indigenous Peoples.

Women in academia: Why and where does the pipeline leak, and how can we fix it?

Women advance along the academic career ladder at lower rates than men. This phenomenon, dubbed the “leaky pipeline,” is pervasive across all academic disciplines and leads to lower levels of female representation in academic leadership positions despite gender parity at the college level. Higher drop-out rates by women from academic careers can be explained by various supply-side factors – women choosing to leave academia due to a lack of role models or different family responsibilities – and demand-side factors – expecting more volunteer and committee work from female researchers, giving less credit to women’s contributions to scientific teamwork, citing women’s work less often, giving women less access to mentorship and funding opportunities, and perceiving women as less competent and brilliant overall. Policies that seek to remedy one of these factors might have negative side effects when the broader societal and institutional context is disregarded.

An Investigation of Gender Representation and Collaboration in Academic Plastic Surgery Research

Background: Gender disparities in academic leadership positions may be influenced by several factors, including research productivity. We aimed to describe the publication gender gap in major plastic surgery journals, assess gender-related and gender-neutral research publications, and identify any potential gender disparities associated with publication characteristics. Methods: For this cross-sectional study, we reviewed all original research publications in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, JAMA Facial Plastic Surgery, and Aesthetic Surgery Journal from 2014 through 2018. Genderize.io was used to identify the gender of all authors. Each publication was classified as either gender-neutral, transgender health, women’s health, or men’s health-related based on the article's content. Results: Of the 12,718 authors across 2234 publications analysed, females were first authors in 30%, last authors in 17%, and all authors in 27%. Among the publications, 1782 (79.8%) were focused on gender-neutral, 419 (18.8%) on women's health, 18 (0.8%) on transgender health, and 15 (0.7%) on men's health. Male first authors were more likely to be associated with women's and transgender health articles (OR [95% CI] = 1.4 [1.1-1.8] and OR [95% CI] = 51.0 [47-55], p &lt; .001) and had a higher mean number of citations compared to gender-neutral articles ( p &lt; .001). Male first authors were more likely to be associated with women's and transgender health articles (OR [95% CI] = 1.4 [1.1–1.8] and OR [95% CI] = 51.0 [47–55], p &lt; .001) and had a higher mean number of citations compared to gender-neutral articles ( p &lt; .001). Conclusion: The publication gender gap persists in academic plastic surgery. The academic community should continue to prioritize addressing gender disparity from the perspective of research productivity.

Extensive gender disparity in top medical schools and their affiliated dermatology departments: a cross-sectional study

BackgroundPrevious studies demonstrate female under-representation in top medical school leadership and dermatology departments, although separately. Here, we investigate the extent and interplay of gender disparity between these two bodies.ObjectiveTo compare...

Developing a Clinical Research Infrastructure embedded in an Academic Medicine Center that Equitably Supports Future Clinician Scientists.

Clinical research in academic medical centers can be difficult to conduct and meet enrollment goals. Students underrepresented in medicine (URiM) are also underrepresented in academic leadership positions and as physician-scientists but are critical to help solve health disparities. Barriers in pursuing medicine as a career may be high for URiM students, therefore it is important to create pre-medicine opportunities accessible to all students interested in health care careers. We describe an undergraduate clinical research platform, the Academic Associate Program, embedded in the medical system that supports clinical research for academic physician scientists and provides students equitable access to experiences and mentoring opportunities. Students have the opportunity of completing a Pediatric Clinical Research Minor (PCRM) degree. This program satisfies many pre-medicine opportunities for undergraduate students, including those URiM, and allows access to physician mentors and unique educational experiences for graduate school or employment. Since 2009, 820 students participated in the AcA program (17.5% URiM) and 235 students (18% URiM) completed the PCRM. Of the 820 students, 126 (10% URiM) students matriculated to medical school, 128 (11%URiM) to graduate school, and 85 (16.5% URiM) gained employment in biomedical research fields. Students in our program supported 57 publications and were top-enrollers for several multi-centered studies. The AcA program is cost-effective and achieves a high level of success enrolling patients into clinical research. Additionally, the AcA program provides equitable access for students URiM to physician mentorship, pre-medical experiences, and an avenue to early immersion in academic medicine.

Navigating the river: Experiences of women academic leaders in Vietnam

Gender inequities in leadership positions in academia persist globally. However, there are significant variations depending on country contexts, and devising strategies to overcome these will require a thorough understanding of the country-specific barriers. While the underrepresentation of women in senior leadership positions has become a burgeoning field of inquiry in recent years, few studies have been conducted to investigate this problem in Vietnam. This qualitative research uses photo elicitation interviews and interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) to bridge this gap. It examines six Vietnamese women’s lived experiences as academic leaders and argues that by analysing the metaphors they use, we can extend our understanding of the issues academic women face. In Vietnam, the metaphor of a river that constantly changes represents the careers of women in academia. The study highlights the need to equalise and progressively introduce developmental opportunities to set Vietnamese women up for success in academic leadership. JEL Classification: i2i23