What makes for a 'Top Doc'? An analysis of UK press portrayals of so-called top doctors

OBJECTIVE

To determine the characteristics of medical practitioners designated 'top doctor' or 'Top Doc' in the UK press.

DESIGN

Observational study of news stories related to the term top doctor (or Top Doc) with analysis using data from publicly available databases.

SETTING

News reports in the UK press accessed via a database from national newspapers from 1 January 2019 to 31 December 2019, prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. Stories relating to disciplinary/criminal matters were analysed separately.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

Results were cross-referenced with the General Medical Council register of medical practitioners for gender, year of qualification, whether on the general practitioner (GP) or the specialist register, and if on the specialist register, which specialty.

RESULTS

There was a gender divide, with 80% of so-called top doctors being male. National top doctors had been qualified for a median time of 31 years. Top doctors are widely spread among specialties; 21% of top doctors were on the GP register. Officers of the British Medical Association and the various Royal Colleges are also well represented. 'Top doctors' facing disciplinary proceedings are more overwhelmingly male, working in hospital specialties and less obviously eminent in their field.

CONCLUSION

There is no clear definition of a 'top doctor', nor are there objective leadership criteria for journalists to use when applying this label. Establishing a definition of 'top doctor', for instance, via the UK Faculty for Medical Leadership and Management, which offers postnominals and accreditation for high-achieving medical professionals, may reduce subjectivity.

Gender leadership in gynecologic oncology professional societies worldwide

OBJECTIVE

We aim to study gender representation among the different national gynecologic oncology (GO) societies' presidents over the past decade.

METHODS

A cross-sectional study examining the period 2013-2022. The leadership positions in 11 GO societies in the USA (SGO), internationally (IGCS), Europe (ESGO), Australia (ASGO), Israel (ISGO), Japan (JSGO), Asia-Oceania (AOGIN), India (INSGO), Latin America (SLAGO), South Africa (SASGO), and Turkey (TRSGO) was studied. The proportion of leadership positions held by women was calculated and trends were evaluated.

RESULTS

Overall, the average rate of women's representation during the study period was 26.4%, and for the different organizations was: SASGO 70.0%, SGO 50.0%, ESGO 40.0%, ASGO 30.0%, INSGO 30.0%, and IGCS, ISGO, and SLAGO 20.0% each, TRSGO 10%, and no representation of women in JSGO and AOGIN. There was a significant decrease from 2013 to 2016 (63.6% to 9.1%) (P = 0.009) in women's representation as presidents of societies. From 2017 to 2022, there was no difference in women's representation (ranging from 9.1% to 36.4%) (P = 0.13).

CONCLUSIONS

This study demonstrates that women are significantly under-represented in leadership positions in GO professional societies; however, in South Africa and the USA their representation in the last decade was close to equality.

Addressing the Burden and Management Strategies for Disparities and Inequities Among Liver Transplant Professionals: The ILTS Experience

Medical professional environments are becoming increasingly multicultural, international, and diverse in terms of its specialists. Many transplant professionals face challenges related to gender, sexual orientation or racial background in their work environment or experience inequities involving access to leadership positions, professional promotion, and compensation. These circumstances not infrequently become a major source of work-related stress and burnout for these disadvantaged, under-represented transplant professionals. In this review, we aim to 1) discuss the current perceptions regarding disparities among liver transplant providers 2) outline the burden and impact of disparities and inequities in the liver transplant workforce 3) propose potential solutions and role of professional societies to mitigate inequities and maximize inclusion within the transplant community.

A Clinical Psychologist Who Studies Alcohol

In this article, I describe why I believe the study of alcohol use and its consequences is a rich and rewarding area of scholarly activity that touches on multiple disciplines in the life sciences, the behavioral sciences, and the humanities. I then detail the circuitous path I took to become an alcohol researcher and the various challenges I encountered when starting up my research program at the University of Missouri. A major theme of my journey has been my good fortune encountering generous, brilliant scholars who took an interest in me and my career and who helped guide and assist me over the course of my career. I also highlight selected, other professional activities I've been involved in, focusing on editorial work, quality assurance, and governance of professional societies. While the focus is on my training and work as a psychologist, the overarching theme is the interpersonal context that nurtures careers.

Neurosurgery residency and fellowship education in the United States: 2 decades of system development by the One Neurosurgery Summit organizations

The purpose of this report is to chronicle a 2-decade period of educational innovation and improvement, as well as governance reform, across the specialty of neurological surgery. Neurological surgery educational and professional governance systems have evolved substantially over the past 2 decades with the goal of improving training outcomes, patient safety, and the quality of US neurosurgical care. Innovations during this period have included the following: creating a consensus national curriculum; standardizing the length and structure of neurosurgical training; introducing educational outcomes milestones and required case minimums; establishing national skills, safety, and professionalism courses; systematically accrediting subspecialty fellowships; expanding professional development for educators; promoting training in research; and coordinating policy and strategy through the cooperation of national stakeholder organizations. A series of education summits held between 2007 and 2009 restructured some aspects of neurosurgical residency training. Since 2010, ongoing meetings of the One Neurosurgery Summit have provided strategic coordination for specialty definition, neurosurgical education, public policy, and governance. The Summit now includes leadership representatives from the Society of Neurological Surgeons, the American Association of Neurological Surgeons, the Congress of Neurological Surgeons, the American Board of Neurological Surgery, the Review Committee for Neurological Surgery of the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education, the American Academy of Neurological Surgery, and the AANS/CNS Joint Washington Committee. Together, these organizations have increased the effectiveness and efficiency of the specialty of neurosurgery in advancing educational best practices, aligning policymaking, and coordinating strategic planning in order to meet the highest standards of professionalism and promote public health.

Who are we now? A demographic assessment of three evolution societies

Scientific societies have the potential to catalyze support for communities that have been historically excluded from science. Many of these societies have formed committees to propose and administer initiatives to promote the career and well-being of their members, with a special emphasis on racial and ethnic minorities. Yet, these societies are rarely armed with data to inform their proposals. Three of the evolution societies (American Society of Naturalists, "ASN"; Society of Systematic Biologists, "SSB"; Society for the Study of Evolution, "SSE") have also formed Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion committees in the last few years. As a first step in determining the needs of the societies, these committees collected data on the demographic characteristics of the societies' constituents by surveying the attendants of the Evolution 2019 meeting. Here, we report the proportions for different demographic groups in attendance at the meeting and compare these proportions to the demographics of recipients of Ph.D. degrees either in evolutionary biology or in the broader life sciences, as well as population demographics of the USA. Our results indicate that historically excluded groups are still underrepresented across US-based evolutionary biology professional societies. We explore whether demographic composition differs at different professional stages and find that representation for women and LGBTQ+ members decreases as the career stage progresses. We also find some evidence for heterogeneity across societies in terms of racial composition. Finally, we discuss the caveats and limitations of our procedures. Our results will serve to inform future efforts to collect demographic data at the society levels, which should in turn be used to design and implement evidence-based initiatives for inclusion and equity. This report should be a starting point for systematic efforts to characterize the ever-changing representation in evolutionary biology and to work toward the inclusion of all groups.

The Society for Vascular Medicine: the first quarter century

The Society for Vascular Medicine was founded in 1989. During the subsequent 25 years, the Society has grown to approximately 500 members and has achieved international recognition while making important contributions to vascular disease education, clinical vascular medicine and biology research, and patient care. In celebration of the Society's 25th anniversary, its past and current presidents reflect on the Society's history, challenges, and achievements, and emphasize the vital role of the SVM in the discipline of vascular medicine.

The role of professional societies in limiting indication creep

New technology is a major driver of health care inflation. One contributor to this inflation is indication creep, the diffusion of interventions that have been proven beneficial in specific patient populations into untested broader populations who may be less likely to benefit. Professional societies sometimes promote indication creep, as we illustrate with the case of therapeutic hypothermia after cardiac arrest. Professional societies are in a unique position to limit indication creep. We propose that, at a minimum, professional societies should refrain from recommending new diagnostic and therapeutic technologies in their guidelines until they have been proven beneficial in the targeted populations. In some circumstances, professional societies could be more active in combatting indication creep, either recommending against expanded use of clinical interventions when evidence is lacking, or coordinating efforts to collect data in these broader populations.

Involving Stakeholders in the Development of Clinical Practice Guidelines

Clinical practice guidelines make recommendations that are relevant to large populations of practitioners, patients, and administrators. Although not all individuals with interest can physically sit on each development panel, there are numerous opportunities for stakeholder involvement in the guideline development process. Such involvement is encouraged, particularly at the time of topic selection, panel development, scope determination, and prerelease critique. Interface with the guidelines development process may occur either via representation through stakeholder organizations or at the individual level.

Vision and change in undergraduate biology education: a call to action presentation to faculty for undergraduate neuroscience, july 2011

The biology of the 21(st) century requires a revolution in teaching that corresponds to the revolution that the discipline experienced in the last decades of the 20(th) century. Consensus is not a tradition in the many disparate subdisciplines that constitute modern biology, but the demands of effective instruction prompted an unprecedented series of conversations among all the stakeholders of undergraduate biology education. A culminating conference resulted in consensus on both the form and substance of modern biology courses: They should emphasize repeatedly five core concepts and six core competencies in a student-centered, inquiry-driven pedagogy modeled on a number of "best practices." The conference report can serve as a guide to individual faculty members, departments, and institutions seeking to reform their teaching practices.