Female Pediatrics Residency Program Directors: Position Length, Program Size, and Career Impact

Background: Currently, the majority of pediatricians are female. However, it is unknown if that general representation is seen along the academic continuum. This study aimed to describe the sex distribution, position duration, and program size of pediatric residency program directors (PDs) and compa...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Liam M. Courtney, Ankith G. Rao, Veronica Vuong, Avani Vaghela, Amanda Brooks, Gregg C. Lund
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Mary Ann Liebert 2025-01-01
Series:Women's Health Reports
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/10.1089/whr.2024.0165
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1850275106762260480
author Liam M. Courtney
Ankith G. Rao
Veronica Vuong
Avani Vaghela
Amanda Brooks
Gregg C. Lund
author_facet Liam M. Courtney
Ankith G. Rao
Veronica Vuong
Avani Vaghela
Amanda Brooks
Gregg C. Lund
author_sort Liam M. Courtney
collection DOAJ
description Background: Currently, the majority of pediatricians are female. However, it is unknown if that general representation is seen along the academic continuum. This study aimed to describe the sex distribution, position duration, and program size of pediatric residency program directors (PDs) and compare female PD representation to other roles along the academic continuum. Methods: Data from all 213 U.S. pediatric residency programs were obtained from publicly available sources. Female representation along the professional academic continuum is obtained from publicly available sources. PD position duration was divided into three groups: short (<5 years), medium (5–10 years), and long (>10 years). Program size was based on the total resident count: small (<31 residents), medium (31–60 residents), and large (<60 residents). Results: The majority of PDs, 153 (72%), were classified as female. Within each duration grouping, there were significantly more females than males. There was no significant difference in the within-sex distribution of duration grouping in the current PD position between female and male PDs. There were significantly more females than males in each program size group. The within-sex distribution of the program size grouping was not statistically different between female and male PDs. Females are less represented in academic positions with greater authority, such as pediatrics department chairs (33.3%) or medical school permanent deans (27%), compared to 72% of PDs. Conclusion: Females are well-represented as pediatric PDs, but underrepresented in medical school positions with greater authority. Understanding the reasons for this is needed to ensure diverse and representative medical school leadership.
format Article
id doaj-art-65f2048cbd3b4c8f8bf4df10befd2d1d
institution OA Journals
issn 2688-4844
language English
publishDate 2025-01-01
publisher Mary Ann Liebert
record_format Article
series Women's Health Reports
spelling doaj-art-65f2048cbd3b4c8f8bf4df10befd2d1d2025-08-20T01:50:56ZengMary Ann LiebertWomen's Health Reports2688-48442025-01-016147648110.1089/whr.2024.0165Female Pediatrics Residency Program Directors: Position Length, Program Size, and Career ImpactLiam M. Courtney0Ankith G. Rao1Veronica Vuong2Avani Vaghela3Amanda Brooks4Gregg C. Lund5Rowan-Virtua School of Osteopathic Medicine, Stratford, New Jersey, USA.Rowan-Virtua School of Osteopathic Medicine, Stratford, New Jersey, USA.Rocky Vista University College of Osteopathic Medicine, Colorado, Parker, Colorado, USA.Rocky Vista University College of Osteopathic Medicine, Southern Utah, Ivins, Utah, USA.Rocky Vista University College of Osteopathic Medicine, Colorado, Parker, Colorado, USA.Volunteer mentor, Park City, Utah, USA.Background: Currently, the majority of pediatricians are female. However, it is unknown if that general representation is seen along the academic continuum. This study aimed to describe the sex distribution, position duration, and program size of pediatric residency program directors (PDs) and compare female PD representation to other roles along the academic continuum. Methods: Data from all 213 U.S. pediatric residency programs were obtained from publicly available sources. Female representation along the professional academic continuum is obtained from publicly available sources. PD position duration was divided into three groups: short (<5 years), medium (5–10 years), and long (>10 years). Program size was based on the total resident count: small (<31 residents), medium (31–60 residents), and large (<60 residents). Results: The majority of PDs, 153 (72%), were classified as female. Within each duration grouping, there were significantly more females than males. There was no significant difference in the within-sex distribution of duration grouping in the current PD position between female and male PDs. There were significantly more females than males in each program size group. The within-sex distribution of the program size grouping was not statistically different between female and male PDs. Females are less represented in academic positions with greater authority, such as pediatrics department chairs (33.3%) or medical school permanent deans (27%), compared to 72% of PDs. Conclusion: Females are well-represented as pediatric PDs, but underrepresented in medical school positions with greater authority. Understanding the reasons for this is needed to ensure diverse and representative medical school leadership.https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/10.1089/whr.2024.0165medical education leadershipgender leadership disparitiesmedical leadership career development
spellingShingle Liam M. Courtney
Ankith G. Rao
Veronica Vuong
Avani Vaghela
Amanda Brooks
Gregg C. Lund
Female Pediatrics Residency Program Directors: Position Length, Program Size, and Career Impact
Women's Health Reports
medical education leadership
gender leadership disparities
medical leadership career development
title Female Pediatrics Residency Program Directors: Position Length, Program Size, and Career Impact
title_full Female Pediatrics Residency Program Directors: Position Length, Program Size, and Career Impact
title_fullStr Female Pediatrics Residency Program Directors: Position Length, Program Size, and Career Impact
title_full_unstemmed Female Pediatrics Residency Program Directors: Position Length, Program Size, and Career Impact
title_short Female Pediatrics Residency Program Directors: Position Length, Program Size, and Career Impact
title_sort female pediatrics residency program directors position length program size and career impact
topic medical education leadership
gender leadership disparities
medical leadership career development
url https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/10.1089/whr.2024.0165
work_keys_str_mv AT liammcourtney femalepediatricsresidencyprogramdirectorspositionlengthprogramsizeandcareerimpact
AT ankithgrao femalepediatricsresidencyprogramdirectorspositionlengthprogramsizeandcareerimpact
AT veronicavuong femalepediatricsresidencyprogramdirectorspositionlengthprogramsizeandcareerimpact
AT avanivaghela femalepediatricsresidencyprogramdirectorspositionlengthprogramsizeandcareerimpact
AT amandabrooks femalepediatricsresidencyprogramdirectorspositionlengthprogramsizeandcareerimpact
AT greggclund femalepediatricsresidencyprogramdirectorspositionlengthprogramsizeandcareerimpact