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Cartagena-Reyes MA, Gupta M, Roy JM, Solomon E, Yenokyan G, Fogam L, Nazario-Ferrer GI, ElNemer WG, Park S, Skolasky RL, Jain A. Gender diversity at spine surgery academic conferences: a 15-year investigation. Spine J 2023:S1529-9430(23)03548-9. [PMID: 38081462 DOI: 10.1016/j.spinee.2023.11.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2023] [Revised: 11/09/2023] [Accepted: 11/27/2023] [Indexed: 01/01/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND CONTEXT Enhancing gender diversity at academic conferences is critical for advancing women's representation and career trajectories in spine surgery. PURPOSE To discover trends in women's representation at major spine conferences over a 15-year period. STUDY DESIGN/SETTING Conference records from the 2007-2021 annual meetings of the Congress of Neurological Surgeons, North American Spine Society, and Scoliosis Research Society (SRS). PATIENT SAMPLE Authors of spine-related presentations. OUTCOME MEASURES Authorship by gender. METHODS Retrospective bibliometric analysis with univariate and multivariate modeling to identify trends and predictors of gender diversity. RESULTS Among 8,948 presentations, 750 (8.4%) had female first authors and 618 (6.9%) had female senior authors. There was no change in rates of female first authorship (p=.41) or senior authorship (p=.88) over time. The strongest predictors of female first authorship were having a female senior author (OR 7.32, p<.001), and delivering presentations at SRS (OR 1.95, p=.001). Factors negatively associated with female first authorship included poster format (OR 0.82, p=.039) and conference location in the United States/Canada (OR 0.76, p=.045). Similar trends were encountered for senior authorship. Productivity per senior author was similar between genders (p=.160); whereas a gender gap in productivity per first author during 2007 to 2011 (p=.020) equalized by 2017 to 2021 (p=.300). Among the 10 most productive authors of each gender, male authors delivered more presentations, but all authors shared similar format, content, and location. CONCLUSIONS Women's representation in spine-related presentations did not increase at three major conferences over a 15-year period. Our findings regarding the positive effects of female mentorship, and international or virtual venues merit further investigation to address the gender gap. The upstream pipeline of recruiting women into academic spine surgery also needs to be addressed. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 3
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Affiliation(s)
- Miguel A Cartagena-Reyes
- Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Johns Hopkins University, 601 N Caroline St, JHOC 5230, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA
| | - Mihir Gupta
- Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Johns Hopkins University, 601 N Caroline St, JHOC 5230, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA
| | - Joanna M Roy
- Topiwala National Medical College, 1 Dr. AL Nair Road, Mumbai, Maharashtra 40008, India
| | - Eric Solomon
- Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Johns Hopkins University, 601 N Caroline St, JHOC 5230, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA
| | - Gayane Yenokyan
- Johns Hopkins Biostatistics Center, Department of Biostatistics, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 615 N Wolfe St, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Lora Fogam
- Windsor University School of Medicine, 455 California Ave, Windsor, Ontario N9B2Y9, Canada
| | | | - William G ElNemer
- Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Johns Hopkins University, 601 N Caroline St, JHOC 5230, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA
| | - SangJun Park
- Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Korea University College of Medicine, 145 Anam-Ro, Seoul 02841, Republic of Korea
| | - Richard L Skolasky
- Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Johns Hopkins University, 601 N Caroline St, JHOC 5230, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA
| | - Amit Jain
- Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Johns Hopkins University, 601 N Caroline St, JHOC 5230, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA.
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Watanabe K, Sakai T, Ohtsu F. Analysis of factors affecting pharmacists' ability to identify and solve problems. J Pharm Health Care Sci 2023; 9:31. [PMID: 37779212 PMCID: PMC10544319 DOI: 10.1186/s40780-023-00300-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2023] [Accepted: 08/14/2023] [Indexed: 10/03/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Among Japanese pharmacists, there is a gap in their commitment to self-improvement and a possible gap in their ability to identify and solve problems. However, the factors causing this situation have not yet been clarified. This study was conducted to identify factors that influence the abilities of Japanese pharmacists to identify and solve problems, which are skills considered essential for this profession. A prior history of presenting at academic conferences was set as a surrogate outcome to clarify whether having this experience affects the factors. METHODS A nationwide internet-based survey was conducted among 300 participating hospitals and 300 community pharmacists. The survey was discontinued when the sample size of each group reached 300. The respondents were categorized into two groups on the basis of their experience of presenting at academic conferences in the survey item "status of self-improvement after employment." Their association with other survey items was determined using univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses. RESULTS The multivariate analysis revealed that 152 (50.7%) hospital pharmacists and 41 (13.7%) community pharmacists had presented at academic conferences. Among the hospital pharmacists, the experience of presenting at academic conferences was significantly associated with the "age 30 s (*references 20 s)," "presence of pharmacists to consult," "experience supervising interns," and "number of types of self-improvement" factors. For the community pharmacists, prior conference presentation experience was significantly associated with "age over 70 s," "highest educational background (doctoral or master's degree)," and "number of types of self-improvement." CONCLUSION This pioneering study suggests that having prior experience of presenting at academic conferences as a surrogate outcome of pharmacists' problem-finding and problem-solving skills may be related to the support provided by human environmental factors at the facility, the status of self-improvement, and the highest educational background.
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Affiliation(s)
- Keigo Watanabe
- Drug Informatics, Faculty of Pharmacy, Meijo University, 150 Yagotoyama, Tempaku-Ku, Nagoya, Aichi, Japan.
| | - Takamasa Sakai
- Drug Informatics, Faculty of Pharmacy, Meijo University, 150 Yagotoyama, Tempaku-Ku, Nagoya, Aichi, Japan
| | - Fumiko Ohtsu
- Drug Informatics, Faculty of Pharmacy, Meijo University, 150 Yagotoyama, Tempaku-Ku, Nagoya, Aichi, Japan
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Lee Y, Issa TZ, Lambrechts MJ, Carey P, Becsey A, Qadiri QS, Khanna A, Canseco JA, Schroeder GD, Kepler CK, Hilibrand AS, Vaccaro AR. Gender disparities among speakers at major spine conferences. Spine J 2023:S1529-9430(23)03372-7. [PMID: 37690480 DOI: 10.1016/j.spinee.2023.08.024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2023] [Revised: 08/07/2023] [Accepted: 08/30/2023] [Indexed: 09/12/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE To examine ten-year trends in gender representation in speaking roles at major spine conferences. BACKGROUND CONTEXT Medical conferences play an important role in career opportunities. There is little analysis on gender representation of major spine conferences despite several studies demonstrating gender disparities within spine surgery. STUDY DESIGN Observational study. SAMPLE A total of 20,181 abstract speakers across 10 years of academic conferences for six spine societies. OUTCOME MEASURES Percent of female abstract presenters. MATERIALS AND METHODS We collated the annual meeting programs of six major spine conferences (North American Spine Society (NASS), Scoliosis Research Society (SRS), International Meeting on Advanced Spine Techniques (IMAST), Global Spine Congress (GSC), American Association of Neurological Surgeons/Congress of Neurological Surgeons (AANS/CNS) Spine Summit, and the Cervical Spine Research Society (CSRS)) dating from 2013 to 2022. Departmental websites, society webpages, or personal social media were identified for images or the use of gendered pronouns in order to determine speaker gender for each speaker type. All categorical variables were compared using Pearson chi-square analysis. RESULTS Women constituted 1,816 (9.0%) of all 20,181 identified conference speakers. Female representation was highest at NASS (N=680, 12.2%) but lowest at CSRS (6.6%) and GSC (7.1%). Spine Summit (7.4%), IMAST (9.92%), and GSC (9.87%) demonstrated the largest annual percent increases in female representation. Institutions in Middle East and Africa (1.4%), and Central and South America (1.8%) supported the lowest percent of female speakers. Women were significantly less likely to be speakers or moderators/course faculty than to be podium abstract presenters (p<.001). The percent of women as invited speakers (10.4% vs. 5.5%, p=.001) and moderators (11.4% vs. 3.7%, p<.001) increased significantly over the study period, with annual increases of 8.8% and 20.8%, respectively, from 2013 to 2022 (p<.001). CONCLUSIONS While academic spine societies have made significant progress in promoting gender representation, especially among invited speakers and session moderators, women continue to be underrepresented compared to the percent of women in orthopedic surgery and neurosurgery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yunsoo Lee
- Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Rothman Institute, Thomas Jefferson University, 925 Chestnut St, 5th Floor, Philadelphia, PA 19107, USA
| | - Tariq Z Issa
- Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Rothman Institute, Thomas Jefferson University, 925 Chestnut St, 5th Floor, Philadelphia, PA 19107, USA.
| | - Mark J Lambrechts
- Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Rothman Institute, Thomas Jefferson University, 925 Chestnut St, 5th Floor, Philadelphia, PA 19107, USA
| | - Preston Carey
- Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Rothman Institute, Thomas Jefferson University, 925 Chestnut St, 5th Floor, Philadelphia, PA 19107, USA
| | - Alexander Becsey
- College of Medicine, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA 19129, USA
| | - Qudratullah S Qadiri
- Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Rothman Institute, Thomas Jefferson University, 925 Chestnut St, 5th Floor, Philadelphia, PA 19107, USA
| | - Akshay Khanna
- Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Rothman Institute, Thomas Jefferson University, 925 Chestnut St, 5th Floor, Philadelphia, PA 19107, USA
| | - Jose A Canseco
- Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Rothman Institute, Thomas Jefferson University, 925 Chestnut St, 5th Floor, Philadelphia, PA 19107, USA
| | - Gregory D Schroeder
- Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Rothman Institute, Thomas Jefferson University, 925 Chestnut St, 5th Floor, Philadelphia, PA 19107, USA
| | - Christopher K Kepler
- Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Rothman Institute, Thomas Jefferson University, 925 Chestnut St, 5th Floor, Philadelphia, PA 19107, USA
| | - Alan S Hilibrand
- Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Rothman Institute, Thomas Jefferson University, 925 Chestnut St, 5th Floor, Philadelphia, PA 19107, USA
| | - Alexander R Vaccaro
- Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Rothman Institute, Thomas Jefferson University, 925 Chestnut St, 5th Floor, Philadelphia, PA 19107, USA
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Falk MT, Hagsten E. Reverse adoption of information and communication technology among organisers of academic conferences. Scientometrics 2023; 128:1963-85. [PMID: 36844385 DOI: 10.1007/s11192-022-04616-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/19/2022] [Accepted: 11/25/2022] [Indexed: 02/25/2023]
Abstract
This study examines the formats offered for academic conferences in the mature stages of the COVID-19 pandemic. Two out of three organisers discontinue their usage of online video tools and focus on in-person conferences. Only one out of five conferences offers hybrid solutions and even fewer a virtual alternative (13%). Data for the analysis originate from 547 calls for proposals announced in Spring 2022 for conferences to be held during the period August 2022 to July 2023. Estimates using a multinomial logit model show that the planning time is significantly related to the choice of format offered. The longer the lead time, the more likely it is to offer an in-person conference. International travel restrictions and bans on gatherings for the location of the venue at the time of planning are significantly related to the choice of virtual, but not hybrid formats. There are also large differences in the choice across disciplines, with conferences in arts and humanities as well as natural sciences showing the lowest preference for the virtual format.
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Soon CSL, Tudor Car L, Ng CJ, Tan NC, Smith H. What Is the Utility of Posters? Qualitative Study of Participants at a Regional Primary Healthcare Conference in Asia. Med Sci Educ 2022; 32:1405-1412. [PMID: 36345366 PMCID: PMC9631582 DOI: 10.1007/s40670-022-01657-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 10/06/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Posters are used extensively as a mode of presentation at scientific conferences, but little is documented about their value to presenters or viewers. The study aimed to explore conference delegates' views and experiences of poster presentations, and their perceptions of the strengths and weaknesses of posters compared with oral presentations, and also to identify ways to enhance the educational value of posters. METHOD This was a qualitative study using brief, semi-structured, face-to-face interviews amongst delegates at a 3-day Asia Pacific regional academic primary care conference in Singapore. Interviews were digitally recorded, transcribed verbatim, and their contents analysed thematically. RESULTS Eighty-nine interviews were analysed. Respondents were mainly early career researchers (58%), and a third were presenting (poster or oral) at the conference. Many positive attributes of posters were identified. For the viewers, these included the ability to gain a rapid overview of research activity (for "benchmarking", "updating", and "inspiration"); the ability to choose who to engage with and when, in contrast to the tightly scheduled oral sessions; and opportunity to discuss content in a leisurely and detailed fashion with the presenter. Presenters considered posters "less threatening" than oral presentations and valued posters for the networking opportunities they created. However, posters were reported to be more demanding on the skills of précis and their preparation was considered arduous and more expensive than an oral presentation. Posters were also perceived to have lower academic status and dominate the presenter's time at the conference, reducing the opportunities for them to see the work of others. Suggestions for incorporating technologies to enhance the impact of posters included QR codes to access more detailed information, pre-recorded presentations, and online interactive clarification sessions with poster authors. CONCLUSION Posters are perceived as a valuable mode of presentation at scientific conferences by presenters and viewers. Their unique strengths challenge the perception that posters are somehow inferior to oral presentations, suggesting a need for their advantages to be promoted by researchers and conference organisers. The incorporation of technology within the traditional display may enhance poster utility. Given the time and money spent on academic conferences there is an urgent need to evaluate the different styles of presentation used at conferences and how they differ in their ability to impact on medical science knowledge and evidence-based clinical practice. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s40670-022-01657-z.
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Affiliation(s)
- Charlene S. L. Soon
- Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, Nanyang Technological University, 11 Mandalay Road, Novena, Singapore, 308232 Singapore
| | - Lorainne Tudor Car
- Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, Nanyang Technological University, 11 Mandalay Road, Novena, Singapore, 308232 Singapore
| | - Chirk Jenn Ng
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
| | - Ngiap Chuan Tan
- SingHealth Polyclinics, Singapore, Singapore
- SingHealth-Duke NUS Family Medicine Academic Clinical Programme, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Helen Smith
- Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, Nanyang Technological University, 11 Mandalay Road, Novena, Singapore, 308232 Singapore
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Lewy JR, Patnode CD, Landrigan PJ, Kolars JC, Williams BC. Quantifying the climate benefits of a virtual versus an in-person format for an international conference. Environ Health 2022; 21:71. [PMID: 35850763 PMCID: PMC9294792 DOI: 10.1186/s12940-022-00883-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2022] [Accepted: 07/10/2022] [Indexed: 05/20/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Academic institutions across the globe routinely sponsor large conferences. During the COVID-19 pandemic, many conferences have used all- or partially virtual formats. The conversion of the 2021 Consortium of Universities for Global Health (CUGH) conference, originally planned in-person for Houston, TX USA to an all-virtual format provided an opportunity to quantify the climate-related impacts of in-person versus virtual conferences. METHODS From the 2021 CUGH conference registration data, we determined each registrant's distance from Houston. Using widely available, open-source formulas, we calculated the carbon footprint of each registrant's round-trip drive or flight had they traveled to Houston. We assumed that registrants traveling more than 300 miles would have flown, with the remainder traveling by automobile. RESULTS Of 1909 registrants, 1447 would have traveled less than 4000 miles, and 389 would have traveled more than 10,000 miles round trip. Total travel-related carbon emissions were estimated at 2436 metric tons of CO2, equivalent to the conservation of 2994 acres of forest for a year. CONCLUSIONS Organizations can now readily quantify the climate cost of annual conferences. CUGH's annual international conference, when held in-person, contributes significantly to carbon emissions. With its focus on promoting global health equity, CUGH may play a lead role in understanding the pros and cons for planetary health of in-person versus virtual conferences. CUGH and other organizations could routinely measure and publish the climate costs of their annual conferences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jacqueline R Lewy
- University of Michigan Medical School, 6312D Med Sci I, SPC 5624, 1301 Catherine St., Ann Arbor, MI, 48109-5624, USA
| | - Casey D Patnode
- University of Michigan Medical School, 6312D Med Sci I, SPC 5624, 1301 Catherine St., Ann Arbor, MI, 48109-5624, USA
| | - Philip J Landrigan
- Boston College, 140 Commonwealth Avenue, Chestnut Hill, MA, 02467, USA
- Centre Scientifique de Monaco, 8 Quai Antoine 1er, 98000, Monaco City, Monaco
| | - Joseph C Kolars
- University of Michigan Medical School, 6312D Med Sci I, SPC 5624, 1301 Catherine St., Ann Arbor, MI, 48109-5624, USA.
| | - Brent C Williams
- University of Michigan Medical School, 6312D Med Sci I, SPC 5624, 1301 Catherine St., Ann Arbor, MI, 48109-5624, USA
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Abstract
This study investigates the extent to which international academic conferences changes format to virtual when faced by sudden Covid-19 related immobility. Data on 587 conferences in the fields of business, economics, information technology, management and other social sciences that were planned to be held between March and August 2020 are retrieved from authorised conference listings. Approximately 28% of the conferences changed to virtual format during the period of time studied. Probit estimations reveal that the probability of changing format to virtual increases with the country of location (United States), planning horizon and the available quality of broadband infrastructure in the scheduled conference country. However, the role of planning horizon differs across fields and location of the conference. The probability of virtual conferences is highest in the United States and for academic conferences in the field of information technology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martin Thomas Falk
- Department of Business and IT, School of Business, University of South-Eastern Norway (USN), Gullbringvegen 36, 3800 Bø, Norway
| | - Eva Hagsten
- School of Social Sciences, University of Iceland, Reykjavík, Iceland
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Abstract
Although the proportion of women in science, and in evolutionary biology in particular, has substantially increased over the last century, women remain underrepresented in academia, especially at senior levels. In addition, their scientific achievements do not always receive the same level of recognition as do men's, which can be reflected in a lower relative representation of women among invited speakers at conferences or specialized courses. Using announcements sent to the EvolDir mailing list between April 2016 and September 2017, and the symposium programs of three large evolutionary biology congresses held in summer 2017, we quantified the representation of women announced as invited speakers in conferences, congress symposia, and specialized courses. We compared the proportion of invited women to a baseline estimated using membership data of the associated scientific societies, and surveyed organizers to investigate their influence and that of potential gender-ratio guidelines on the proportion of invited women. We find that the average proportion of invited women is comparable (conferences), significantly lower (specialized courses), or significantly higher (congress symposia) than the current baseline (32% women). It is positively correlated to the proportion of women among the organizers, and it is on average higher for events whose organizers considered gender when choosing speakers than for those whose organizers did not. To investigate the impact of Equal Opportunity guidelines, we then collected longitudinal data on the proportion of invited women at two series of congresses, covering the 2001-2017 period. The proportion of invited women is higher when Equal Opportunity guidelines are announced. Encouraging women to sit on organizing committees of scientific events, and the establishment of visible Equal Opportunity guidelines, thus could be ways to ensure higher number of invited female speakers in the future. Our results suggest that change, if desired, requires deliberate actions.
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Affiliation(s)
- F Débarre
- Centre Interdisciplinaire de Recherche en Biologie (CIRB) Collège de France CNRS UMR 7241-Inserm U1050 Paris France
| | - N O Rode
- CBGP, INRA, CIRAD, IRD, Montpellier SupAgro Univ. Montpellier Montpellier France
| | - L V Ugelvig
- Centre for Social Evolution, Department of Biology University of Copenhagen Copenhagen Denmark
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