Gender Representation Among Academic US Radiation Oncology Department Chairs: Who are They?

Abstract

Purpose: Women are underrepresented in academic radiation oncology (RO), particularly in leadership positions. In this study, we sought to better understand the characteristics of individuals who currently serve as academic RO chairpersons at institutions with an associated Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education–accredited RO residency training program. Methods and Materials: We created a database of academic RO chairpersons in the United States by using publicly available sources, including residency training program websites, hospital/institutional websites, Doximity, LinkedIn, the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) website, the American College of Radiation Oncology website, and the National Plan and Provider Enumeration System National Provider Identifier Registry. We used the χ2 Goodness of Fit test, Mann-Whitney U test, and Fisher exact test via R version 4.1.1 to evaluate for statistical significance among categorical variables, medians, and proportions, respectively. Results: We identified 85 of the 90 chairpersons (94.4%) currently serving at institutions with an Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education–accredited RO residency training program, 5 of whom hold interim positions and were thus excluded from further analyses. Of the remaining 80 chairpersons, 9 (11.3%) are women, and 71 (88.8%) are men (P < .01). Seventy-six chairpersons (95.0%) are full professors, and 19 (23.8%) hold dual MD PhD degrees. Thirty-two chairpersons (40.0%) hold an official leadership role in a cancer center affiliated with their current institution (43.7% of men vs 11.1% of women; P = .08). Seventy-three chairpersons (91.3%) secured their current positions a median of 16 years (range, 6-33 years) after completing RO residency. Thirty-five chairpersons (43.8%) were promoted to chair from positions within their current institutions (40.8% of men vs 66.7% of women; P = .17). The majority of chairpersons are ASTRO Fellows (62.5%); notably fewer are ASTRO (5.0%) or American College of Radiation Oncology (2.5%) Gold Medalists. Eight RO residency programs trained more than half of current chairpersons. Conclusion: Significantly more men than women currently serve as RO chairpersons. Future interventions that promote the recruitment, retention, and promotion of talented women in academic RO should be considered.