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Gender Trends in Cardiothoracic Surgery: Examining Female Participation in Training, Practice, and Leadership Roles
Introduction While the proportion of women in surgery has grown, more than 90% of practicing cardiothoracic surgeons are men. The 2010s and early 2020s have witnessed a heightened awareness of gender disparity, with increased focus placed on career mentorship. We sought to examine the current landscape of female representation at different points along the cardiothoracic surgery training and career path.
Methods Medical student, resident, and active practice surgeon demographics were obtained from the AAMC. We identified five major U.S. cardiothoracic surgical societies, noting members of all committees. Gender was probabilistically determined using Gender Guesser (NamSsor SAC LLC, France), a commercially available artificial intelligence tool.
Results We identified 456 individuals occupying both junior and senior level committee positions across five major US cardiothoracic surgical societies. Of committee members, 78 (26%) were identified as likely female. Among committee chairs and executive leadership boards, 48 individuals (31%) were likely female. Gender probability ranged from 0.52-0.99 across the cohort, with average probability of 0.95. Female ACGME thoracic surgery residents represented 29.5% of the incoming class in 2023. Comparatively, women were noted to account for only 8.3% of active thoracic surgeons. Across a composite of ACS recognized surgical subspecialties with AAMC data (General, Neurological, Orthopedic, Plastic, Thoracic and Vascular, Obstetrics and Gynecology, Ophthalmology, Otolaryngology, Urology, Sports Medicine (Orthopedic Surgery)) women accounted for 29.1% of all practicing surgeons in the US.
Conclusion
While gender distribution in cardiothoracic surgery shows balance at early career stages, current practice remains skewed. Despite this, women are present and active at junior and senior levels within major cardiothoracic societies. The presence of women in leadership roles from which they may provide mentorship and guidance may be positively influencing career choices of trainees.
