Health Equities
Akanksha Mehta, MD
Emory University School of Medicine
Simone Thavaseelan, MD (she/her/hers)
Associate Professor of Surgery
Brown University
Sam Chang, MD,MBA (he/him/his)
Patricia & Rodes Hart Chair of Urologic Surgery, Chief Surgical Officer
Vanderbilt University Medical Center
Mathew Sorensen, MD, MS, FACS
University of Washington School of Medicine
Course Description: There is a lack of widespread awareness of how gender bias or sexism affects women in the urological workplace, and while primarily women are contributing to the scientific literature that examines these issues, its dissemination to those in leadership or in charge of policy can be limited. Addressing this requires both advocacy from women and allyship from men to promote fair and equitable work environments. The course will define, based on the evidence and data, the current state of women in urology and, through a series of case presentations, will identify the challenges women face across the career trajectory as students (selecting surgery and urology, match rates, letters of recommendation, interviews), residents (implicit bias and operative autonomy) and attendings (practice patterns, work-life integration, promotions, salary equity). Strategies of action to address gender bias and sexism will be reviewed including allyship, sponsorship, trust and reciprocity, disrupting bias and sexism, and advocacy. Audience participation will be facilitated through course director Q&A on the floor.