SHM Converge Scientific Abstract ePoster Gallery-Gender Disparity in Academic Rank: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

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This systematic review and meta-analysis examined whether gender disparities in promotion to full professor persist in academic medicine after adjusting for factors commonly used in promotion decisions, such as years on faculty, publications, grants, and leadership roles.<br /><br />The authors searched major databases from inception through August 18, 2022 and included studies that reported full professor status by binary gender. Out of 244 eligible studies, 16 provided adjusted odds ratios and were included in the meta-analysis.<br /><br />Key findings:<br />- Unadjusted, women had much lower odds of being full professors than men (OR 0.38, 95% CI 0.35–0.40).<br />- After adjustment for career duration and productivity-related factors, women still had lower odds of promotion to full professor overall (pooled adjusted OR 0.60, 95% CI 0.46–0.77).<br />- The disparity remained significant in surgical specialties (adjusted OR 0.55, 95% CI 0.34–0.88).<br />- In internal medicine alone, the adjusted difference was not statistically significant (OR 0.80, 95% CI 0.57–1.11).<br /><br />Heterogeneity across studies was high, and much of it was explained by whether the study was based in the United States, where the disparity appeared smaller.<br /><br />Overall conclusion: a gender gap in advancement to full professor persists in many areas of academic medicine even after controlling for major promotion-related factors, especially in surgery and combined medical/surgical specialties. The authors suggest that improving equity in key promotion inputs may help reduce this rank disparity.

Asset Subtitle

Craig Gunderson

Meta Tag

Author List Alyssa A. Grimshaw, Benjamin Rudikoff, Craig Gunderson, Elizabeth Marhoffer, Jurgen L. Holleck, Lori Bastian, Samer Ein Alshaeba

Category Research

Concept Gender Disparity

Concept Full Professor

Concept Academic Promotion

Concept Academic Medicine

Concept Systematic Review

Distinguished Non-Finalist

Presenter Organization Va

Presenting Author Craig Gunderson

Track Other

Keywords

academic medicine

gender disparity

full professor

promotion

systematic review

meta-analysis

adjusted odds ratio

women in medicine

surgical specialties

career advancement

Gender Disparity

Full Professor

Academic Promotion

Academic Medicine

Systematic Review