key: cord-0752176-jtsqx3ch
authors: Guo, Michelle; Oxentenko, Amy S.; Mostoufi-Moab, Sogol; Pham, Rachel N.; Armijo, Priscila R.; Silver, Julie K.
title: Letter to the Editor on “How to Become a Competitive Applicant for Gastroenterology Fellowship: Tips and Tricks for Success Part II”
date: 2020-09-05
journal: Dig Dis Sci
DOI: 10.1007/s10620-020-06577-9
sha: b63ac80573930d4731ca5906a386c466583ce74b
doc_id: 752176
cord_uid: jtsqx3ch

nan

Although the onus to fix gaps should be firmly placed on leaders in academic medicine, we recognize that there are genuine barriers to recruitment, such as inherent sex/gender bias and lack of mentoring. Approximately 40% of third-year internal medicine residents are female, and the percentage of female first-year GI fellows has remained stable between 32 and 39% [2, 3] . However, less than 20% of practicing gastroenterologists are female ( Fig. 1 ) [4] . Singh et al. showed that female gastroenterologists were more frequently in academic practice than male (38% vs 17%) but were less likely to hold the most advanced academic positions [5] . More recently, Diamond et al. showed that in a cohort of 2440 GI faculty members, only 11% of women hold the rank of professor compared with 30% of men [6] . Paving a future for women in gastroenterology means systematically evaluating barriers for women achieving leadership roles within the specialty.

With the unique challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic during this application season, programs must demonstrate their dedication to diversity through virtual forums. Mallepally et al. suggest solutions for GI fellowship programs, including strengthening their online or social media presence [7] . Already facing a highly competitive fellowship match, women applicants and those with intersectional identities may analyze fellowship websites for the names and faces of leaders who share those identities. Programs must be prepared to be transparent and carefully consider how they present their culture and values.

Closing gaps in the recruitment of women into any specialty is the responsibility of program directors, department chairs, and other institutional leaders. Duong et al. provide practical guidelines that are applicable across a variety of specialties. Equally important are the recommendations for ensuring that women physicians have a chance to be considered for and ultimately appointed as leaders of their departments. Without this consistency in institutional priority, women will compete for the few spots available at institutions where structured support for diversity and inclusion exists and is readily apparent. Now is the time to demonstrate to the medical profession that diversity and inclusion is a priority, and to put efforts behind statements of solidarity.

Funding No funding was received for this work.

Conflict of interest Michelle Guo, BA, has no disclosures related to this work; Amy S. Oxentenko, MD, FACP, FACG, AGAF-no disclosures related to this work; Sogol Mostoufi-Moab, MD, MSCE-no disclosures related to this work; Rachel N. Pham, BS-no disclosures related to this work; Priscila R. Armijo, MD-no disclosures related to this work; and Julie K. Silver, MD-no disclosures related to this work.

How to become a competitive applicant for gastroenterology fellowship: tips and tricks for success part II

Percentage of third-year internal medicine residents who are female

Percentage of first-year fellows by gender and type of medical school attended

Active physicians by sex and specialty

Women in Gastroenterology Committee of American College of Gastroenterology. Do gender disparities persist in gastroenterology after 10 years of practice?

Gender differences in publication productivity, academic rank, and career duration among U.S. academic gastroenterology faculty

The new virtual reality: how COVID-19 will affect the gastroenterology and hepatology fellowship match

Publisher's Note Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. [3, 4] . *Note the ABIM provides data for female first-year fellows but does not give a value for male first-year fellows. Thus, the term "not female" is used here