136 - In Their Own words: a Qualitative Analysis of Factors Contributing to Gender Bias in Academic Advancement in Infectious Disease

Background: Large and persistent inequities in academic advancement exist between men and women faculty in academic Infectious Diseases (ID).  To identify and characterize beliefs about why these inequities persist in ID, we asked ID faculty members to share their thoughts and experiences with the advancement process.Characteristics of Focus Group Participants
Summary of Main Emergent Themes from Focus Group Analysis


Methods: We conducted four 60-minute focus groups with ID faculty members during IDWeek 2019. We enrolled women that were diverse geographically and in academic rank (i.e., Instructor/Assistant, Associate, Full Professor).  We assigned women to focus groups by rank to minimize social desirability bias across rank. Our fourth focus group included only men who were Full Professors, to capture additional perspectives about barriers to advancement and solutions. (Table 1) We analyzed focus group discussion transcripts using content analysis.
 

Results: We identified nine main themes regarding inequities in academic advancement of women in ID. (Table 2 )  In all 4 focus groups, gender bias as a barrier to academic advancement was a major theme.  Women Full Professors emphasized explicit gender bias such as sexual harassment and “predatory mentoring,” whereas women Instructors/Assistant Professors more frequently cited barriers related to  implicit bias, such as obscure maternity leave policies and divisional meetings scheduled during childcare hours.  Women Associate Professors cited implicit and explicit gender bias, while men Full Professors focused primarily on implicit bias.  Women Instructors/Assistant Professors experienced the greatest difficulty in balancing demands of family with career, though this was a prominent theme in all groups.  The perception that women less often utilize negotiation to advance themselves was a dominant theme for women Associate Professors, though all groups raised examples of this theme.
 

Conclusion: Gender bias, both implicit and explicit, is an important and ongoing barrier to equitable academic advancement of women in ID.  Difficulty balancing demands of family with career and gender differences in professional negotiation are also perceived barriers that can be targeted by innovative programs and interventions to address gender disparities in academic advancement.

Presenting Author(s)

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  Wendy Stead, MD

  Program Director
  Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
  Boston, Massachusetts

  Disclosure: I do not have any relevant financial / non-financial relationships with any proprietary interests.

  Slides Slides and Audio

Co-Author(s)

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  Jennifer Manne-Goehler, MD, ScD

  Physician in Infectious Diseases
  Massachusetts General Hospital & Brigham and Women's Hospital
  Boston, Massachusetts

  Disclosure: I do not have any relevant financial / non-financial relationships with any proprietary interests.
• 

  Jasmine R. Marcelin, MD

  Assistant Professor, Division of Infectious Diseases
  University of Nebraska Medical Center
  Omaha, Nebraska

  Disclosure: I do not have any relevant financial / non-financial relationships with any proprietary interests.
• 

  Carlos Del Rio, MD

  Distinguished Professor of Medicine
  Emory university School of Medicine
  Decatur, GA

  Disclosure: I do not have any relevant financial / non-financial relationships with any proprietary interests.
• 

  Douglas Krakower, MD

  Assistant Professor of Medicine and Population Medicine
  Harvard Medical School
  Boston, Massachusetts

  Disclosure: DKBmed : Honoraria for developing medical education content (Status: Terminated --- 2019), Other Financial or Material Support (Status: Terminated --- 2019); Gilead Sciences : Consultant to Fenway Health for research funded by Gilead (Status: Terminated --- 2019), Other Financial or Material Support (Status: Terminated --- 2019); MED-IQ : Honoraria for developing medical education content (Status: Terminated --- 2017), Other Financial or Material Support (Status: Terminated --- 2017); Medscape : Honoraria for developing medical education content (Status: Terminated --- 2017), Other Financial or Material Support (Status: Terminated --- 2017); Merck : Grant/Research Support (Status: Ongoing); UpToDate. Inc : Other Financial or Material Support (Status: Ongoing), Royalties for developing medical education content (Status: Ongoing)