Academic medicine : journal of the Association of American Medical Colleges
-
Historical Article
Seeking Parity for Women in Academic Medicine: A Historical Perspective.
In this Invited Commentary, the author applies a historical lens to explore a fundamental paradox in U. S. medical education: the fact that long after women gained parity with men in matriculation to medical school, women remain highly underrepresented in leadership positions in academic medicine. The reasons for this are many and complex, but at the core are the subtle but hurtful indignities ("microinequities") experienced by women physicians and an academic culture that expects single-minded dedication to work, regardless of the costs to faculty members' personal lives. ⋯ In recent years, many medical schools and teaching hospitals have made efforts to improve opportunities and satisfaction for women trainees and physicians, enacting reforms to improve work-life balance for all faculty. It is plausible to imagine a future in which flexible time frames to achieve tenure and promotion are universally available to both women and men, with high scholarly standards firmly maintained. If this occurs, it will represent a profound legacy for women in academic medicine, for their generations of professional sacrifice and advocacy for a more equitable culture will have changed its culture.
-
In nearly all walks of life, leadership sets the tone for what gets done, who does it, and how it is achieved. In 2020, the top ranks of academic medicine have not yet attained gender parity-an aspirational goal set 7 years ago in this journal as "50:50 by 2020," and a vital aim for the United States' productivity and innovation as a leader in biomedical research. Parity in academic leadership for women and other groups underrepresented in science and medicine will seed the culture change necessary for inclusive excellence: environments in which individuals from all backgrounds thrive in their pursuit of new knowledge to benefit human health. ⋯ In keeping with a systems approach are implementing accountability and transparency; establishing clear metrics of inclusion, diversity, and equity; tracking and evaluating such metrics; as well as tying these metrics to institutional reward systems. These essential steps to institutional culture transformation require strong partnerships between NIH and the academic community. The author argues that with committed vision, focus, and energy, success is attainable, and soon.