GUMC Update

Georgetown Women in Medicine (GWIM) Hosts "Women in Academic Medicine: The Progress and the Challenges"

April 17, 2009

On March 18, 2009, Georgetown Women in Medicine (GWIM) hosted a lecture presented by Stephanie Abbuhl, MD, University of Pennsylvania Women in Medicine Group. “Women in Academic Medicine: The Progress and the Challenges” brought together GWIM members to discuss the difficulties and obstacles many women have faced while working in academic medicine, as well as focusing on the progress they have made.

According to the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM), only 5 percent of medical students were women in 1960. Today, the number of men and women in medical school is equivalent. Despite many obstacles and challenges, organizations for women—such as GWIM—give women in academic medicine the chance to progress just as much as their male peers.

Dr. Abbuhl’s presentation shared one major obstacle women have faced: they are overrepresented at the junior level and less likely to gain promotion or tenure. While the percentage of women graduating from U.S. medical schools has increased dramatically over the past 30 years, the distribution of men and women across faculty ranks in academic medical centers has remained unchanged. Consequently, women remain underrepresented in senior ranks of academic medicine.

Abbuhl also stated that women struggled to get to the top because of a complex combination of women’s choices, sexism, constraints in combining family obligations and professional opportunities, as well as a lack of effective mentoring.

To remove some of these obstacles, Abbuhl recommended promoting the retention and advancement of women faculty; improving the gender climate in academic medical centers; continuing the mentoring of women faculty, resident and students; as well as offering skill-building opportunities for women. "GWIM seeks to build upon and expand efforts by continuing the support of existing and new GWIM programs and starting a lectureship with focus on women's health as well as support for women's research," said Kathryn L. Taylor, president of GWIM.

Programs analogous to GWIM are spreading throughout the nation. These programs, whose mission is to advance the leadership of women in academic medicine and to promote education in research and women’s health will help women in academic medicine, prevail in their fields. Abbuhl stated that by 2015 women will outnumber men in medical school applications. Attendees of the program acknowledged the difficulties that they may continue to face, but have very clear expectations, that they, too, will succeed as women in academic medicine.

Submit your news at any time to the GUMC Office of Communications at gumccomm@georgetown.edu.

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