Jindani Rajika, Brascia Debora, Dweck Albert, Tariq Javeria, Olivera Justin, Ghanie Amanda, Rodriguez-Quintero Jorge Humberto, Antonoff Mara B, Stiles Brendon M, Pompili Cecilia
Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Montefiore Medical Center/Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY.
Department of Biomedical Sciences, Humanitas University, Milan, Italy.
JTCVS Open. 2025 Jun 12;26:321-328. doi: 10.1016/j.xjon.2025.06.006. eCollection 2025 Aug.
The underrepresentation of women in thoracic surgery has been well described worldwide. Women can serve as role models for trainees and advance their careers through academic appointments, leadership positions, and involvement in thoracic societies. We aimed to characterize differences between representation of women in thoracic surgery in the United States and Europe.
A cross-sectional study was conducted using publicly available data for hospitals with 30 general thoracic-track training programs in the United States and Europe from December 2023 to May 2024. Membership data for national/international societies were obtained directly from respective organizations.
Among 30 US institutions with dedicated general thoracic surgery training tracks, women comprised 17.7% (102 out of 475) of faculty, compared with those of 30 general thoracic surgery centers in 8 European countries, where women comprised 29.5% (79 out of 268) of faculty. Of programs with available data, 26.7% (8 out of 30) had women as thoracic surgery program directors in the United States and 13% (4 out of 30) in Europe. Regarding societal membership in the General Thoracic Surgical Club (United States) and European Society of Thoracic Surgeons (Europe), women were well represented as trainee members (United States, 39.2% [20 out of 51] vs Europe, 46.1% [113 out of 245]; = .367), but comprised a lower proportion of active/senior members (United States, 12.9% [45 out of 349] vs Europe, 19.2% [283 out of 1474]; = .006).
We identified universal disparities in the representation of women in faculty appointments, leadership positions, and membership in professional societies. Efforts to address imbalances may benefit from shared experiences and initiatives, aiding resident recruitment and career advancement for women thoracic surgeons while fostering diversity, equity, and inclusion on a global scale.
全球范围内，胸外科领域女性代表人数不足的情况已得到充分描述。女性可以成为学员的榜样，并通过学术任命、领导职位以及参与胸外科学会来推动自身职业发展。我们旨在描述美国和欧洲胸外科领域女性代表情况的差异。
采用横断面研究，利用2023年12月至2024年5月期间美国和欧洲30个普通胸外科培训项目医院的公开数据。国家/国际学会的会员数据直接从各自组织获取。
在美国30个设有专门普通胸外科培训项目的机构中，女性教员占17.7%（475人中的102人），而在欧洲8个国家的30个普通胸外科中心，女性教员占29.5%（268人中的79人）。在有可用数据的项目中，美国有26.7%（30个中的8个）的项目女性担任胸外科项目主任，欧洲为13%（30个中的4个）。关于普通胸外科俱乐部（美国）和欧洲胸外科医师协会（欧洲）的会员情况，女性作为学员会员代表情况良好（美国，39.2%[51人中的20人]对欧洲，46.1%[245人中的113人]；P = 0.367），但活跃/资深会员的比例较低（美国，12.9%[349人中的45人]对欧洲，19.2%[1474人中的283人]；P = 0.006）。
我们发现女性在教员任命、领导职位以及专业学会会员方面存在普遍差异。解决这些不平衡的努力可能受益于共享经验和举措，有助于女性胸外科医生的住院医师招募和职业发展，同时在全球范围内促进多样性、公平性和包容性。
