Strengthening Our Societies with Diversity and Inclusion

Training Program Factors Most Important to Women When Selecting an Otolaryngology Residency

OBJECTIVES

The aim of the study was to determine factors that female resident physicians find most influential when choosing an otolaryngology residency program.

METHODS

A three-part survey was sent to current female otolaryngology residents via email evaluating the importance of 19 characteristics impacting program choice. The 19 factors were scored from 1 (least important) to 5 (most important). The participants also ranked their personal top five most influential factors. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics.

RESULTS

One-hundred and fifty of 339 contacted residents participated. Most were aged 30-39 (63%), white (70%), and married (43%). Eighty-five percent had no children, and 52% did not plan to have children during residency. The highest scoring factors derived from Likert scale ratings included resident camaraderie (4.5 ± 0.8), resident happiness (4.4 ± 0.8), and case variety/number (4.4 ± 0.8). The lowest scoring factors were number of fellows (2.9 ± 1.1), attitudes toward maternity leave (2.7 ± 1.3), and maternity leave policies (2.4 ± 1.2). The top five most influential factors and the percentage selecting this were resident camaraderie (57%), resident happiness (57%), academic reputation (51%), case variety/number (47%), and early surgical/clinical experience (44%). Gender-specific factors were infrequently selected. However, 51 (34%) ranked at least one gender-specific factor within their top five list.

CONCLUSION

Non-gender-related factors, like resident camaraderie and surgical experiences, were most valued by women. Conversely, gender-specific factors were less critical and infrequently ranked. Ninety-nine residents (64%) rated exclusively gender-neutral characteristics in their top five list of most influential factors. Our data offer insight into program characteristics most important to female otolaryngology residents, which may assist residency programs hoping to match female applicants.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

NA Laryngoscope, 134:600-606, 2024.

A Decade of Global Skull Base Researchers: Gender Data from over 2,700 Abstract Authors in the Journal of Neurological Surgery Part B: Skull Base

Objective  The North American Skull Base Society (NASBS) annual conference brings together skull base researchers from surgical and nonsurgical fields. Our objective was to quantify the contributions of the authors by gender, who presented their work at NASBS and were subsequently published in the Journal of Neurological Surgery Part B: Skull Base . Methods  Oral and poster abstracts presented at the NASBS annual meeting from January 1, 2011 to December 31, 2020 were extracted from the Journal of Neurological Surgery Part B: Skull Base. The genderize.io Web application programming interface was utilized to determine authorship gender. A minority of first and last authors had departmental affiliations listed; a subgroup analysis was performed of these authors. Results  Female gender was assigned to 498 (17.8%) of the 2,798 first authors and 269 (9.7%) of the 2,762 last authors. Female authorship has consistently increased over the last decade. Representation was higher in otolaryngology (23.3% of first authors, 12.1% of last authors; p  = 0.018) than neurosurgery (13.5% of first authors, 4.3% of last authors; p  = 0.004). Female researchers were not less likely than their male counterparts to receive prestigious oral presentations. Of the 52 total countries represented, 20 (38.5%) had at least one female first author. Representation varied dramatically between countries. Conclusion  The NASBS' efforts have undoubtedly contributed to these impressive strides toward gender parity. More work is needed to ensure that the best and the brightest, regardless of background, continue to contribute to skull base surgery research.

The current status of the diversity pipeline in surgical training

OBJECTIVE

Recent initiatives have emphasized the importance of diversity, equity, and inclusion in academic surgery. Racial/ethnic disparities remain prevalent throughout surgical training, and the "diversity pipeline" in resident recruitment and retention remains poorly defined.

METHODS

Data was retrospectively collected using two separate datasets. The Association of American Medical Colleges database was used to obtain demographic data on US medical school graduates. The US Graduate Medical Education annual report was used to obtain demographic data on surgical residents. Wilcoxon signed-rank test was used to compare racial/ethnic distribution within surgical residency programs with graduating medical students. Linear regression analysis was performed to analyze population trends over time.

RESULTS

The study population included 184,690 surgical residents from 2011 to 2020. Nine resident cohorts were created according to surgical specialty - general surgery, neurosurgery, ophthalmology, orthopedic surgery, otolaryngology, plastic surgery, cardiothoracic surgery, urology, and vascular surgery. Among surgical programs, White residents were overrepresented in 8 of 9 specialties compared to the concurrent graduating medical student class for all years (p < 0.01 each, no difference in ophthalmology). Black residents were underrepresented in 8 of 9 specialties (p < 0.01 each, no difference in general surgery). Asian representation was mixed among specialties (4 overrepresented, 1 equal, 4 underrepresented), as was Hispanic representation (5 overrepresented, 4 equal) (p < 0.01 each).

CONCLUSIONS

These data suggest that racial/ethnic disparities are inherent to the process of recruitment and retention of surgical residents. Efforts to improve the "diversity pipeline" should focus on mentorship and development of minority medical students and creating an equitable learning environment.