ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Gender disparity exists in nearly every medical specialty, particularly in leadership roles and academia. Radiology is not exempt from this phenomenon, with women making up less than a third of radiology residents in the United States (US). This can have long-lasting effects on the career progression of female radiologists. Our search did not reveal any study on gender composition in academic abdominal radiology. PURPOSE: To evaluate the academic productivity and career advancement of female academic abdominal radiology faculty in the United States and Canada. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Parameters of academic achievement were measured, including the number of citations and publications, years of research, as well as H-index. Information regarding academic and leadership ranking among academic abdominal radiologists in the United States and Canada was also analyzed. RESULTS: In academic abdominal radiology, there were fewer females than males (34.9% vs 65.1%; p-value 0.256). Among the female radiologists, the greatest proportion held the rank of assistant professor (40%). Female representation decreased with increasing rank. Females had a lower H-index than males (P-valueâ¯=â¯0.0066) and significantly fewer years of research than males (P-valueâ¯=â¯0.0243). CONCLUSION: Male predominance in academic abdominal radiology is similar to many other medical specialties, and encompasses senior faculty rank, leadership roles and research productivity.
