key: cord-0771831-dqg0j9cu
authors: Feigofsky, Suzanne
title: “And Then She Vanished”
date: 2021-06-09
journal: JACC Case Rep
DOI: 10.1016/j.jaccas.2021.04.025
sha: 62336837576dcbb864c0821965b46db82825aa93
doc_id: 771831
cord_uid: dqg0j9cu

nan

My first opportunity to lecture was at the Heart Rhythm Society (HRS) in 2017, and that is where I met Dr. Olshansky. He was not present at my talk but heard of a job well done and sought me out to introduce himself. He offered sage advice and quickly became a mentor and promotor. The following year, I spoke at the American College of Cardiology (ACC) and the American Heart Association (AHA). Two years later, I was an invited speaker not only to HRS and ACC meetings, but also to Venice Arrhythmias. I was rubbing elbows with physicians I had idolized during my training and early career. I was given the opportunity to publish and participate in writing committees. Never before had anyone taken such an interest in my success, and I am forever grateful.

As an electrophysiologist practicing in rural Iowa as part of a hospital-owned cardiovascular specialty group I do not have access to a university library, so some articles are difficult to access. Time is not allotted to prepare talks, do research for those talks, or volunteer as a peer reviewer for journals. These are extracurricular tasks and are expected to be done outside of the workday. (1) . Family responsibilities affect women to a greater degree than men, thus making work travel or meetings outside of traditional work hours challenging. A total of 37% of women report that this issue has had a negative effect on career advancement, compared with 20% of men (2) . Women without children are also pulled between professional and family duties, more so than men, with nearly 20% being the primary caregiver for family members who are not children. Job satisfaction was similar between men and women, but women were more likely to report less satisfaction in their home life (2 

American College of Cardiology Women in Cardiology Leadership Council. Changes in the professional lives of cardiologists over 2 decades

Women in the Workplace 2020. McKinsey & Company

Trends in the proportion of female speakers at medical conferences in the United States and in Canada

Temporal trends in the proportion of women physician speakers at major cardiovascular conferences

KEY WORDS equity, gender, inclusion, women in cardiology

And Then She Vanished