Abdominal Transplant Surgeons: The Lack of Female Surgeons and People From Underrepresented Racial and Ethnic Minority Groups in Academic and Clinical Leadership.

OBJECTIVES: The demographic disparities among surgeons in academic leadership positions is well documented. We aimed to characterize the present demographic details of abdominal transplant surgeons who have achieved academic and clinical leadership positions. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We reviewed the 2022-2023 American Society of Transplant Surgeons membership registry to identify 1007 active abdominal transplant surgeons. Demographic details (academic and clinical titles) were collected and analyzed using the chi-square test, the Fisher exact test, and t tests. Multinomial logistic regressions were conducted. RESULTS: Female surgeons (P < .001) and surgeons from racial-ethnic minorities (P = .027) were more likely to be assistants or associates rather than full professors. White male surgeons were more likely to be full professors than were White female (P < .001), Asian female (P = .008), and Asian male surgeons (P = .005). There were no Black female surgeons who were full professors. The frequency of full professorship increased with surgeon age (P < .001). Male surgeons were more likely to hold no academic titles (P < .001). Female surgeons were less likely to be chief of transplant(P = .025), chief of livertransplant (P = .001), chief of pancreas transplant (P = .037), or chair of surgery (P = .087, significance at 10%). Chief of kidney transplant was the most common clinical position held by a surgeon from a racial or ethnic minority group. Female surgeons were more likely to hold no clinical titles (P = .001). CONCLUSIONS: The underrepresentation of women and people from racial and ethnic minority groups in academic and clinical leadership positions in the field of abdominal transplant surgery remains evident. White male physicians are more likely to obtain full professorship, and they comprise most of the clinical leadership positions overall. A continued push for representative leadership is needed.

Women in Orthopaedics: 10-Year Trends of Fellowship Match Rate and Subspecialty.

BACKGROUND: Orthopaedic surgery has consistently remained one of the least diverse specialties in medicine. There are limited data on the match rate by sex into orthopaedic fellowships. PURPOSE: The goals of this study were to determine (1) how the percentage of women applying to orthopaedic fellowships has changed from 2011 to 2021, (2) whether there was a correlation between sex and the likelihood of a successful fellowship match, and (3) which subspecialties tend to have a greater proportion of female applicants and fellows. METHODS: The San Francisco (SF) Match service was used to obtain US orthopaedic fellowship applicant data from 2010 to 2021. San Francisco Match has run the match for the orthopaedic fellowship match since 2010. International medical graduates' applications, incomplete applications, or withdrawn applications were excluded. The following variables were collected and assessed: sex, subspecialty choice (except for hand because they do not use SF Match services), and match outcome. The number of female applicants and matches was recorded by year and compared with the number of male applicants and matches. Chi-square analysis was used to analyze categorical variables. RESULTS: A total of 6969 applicants to all orthopaedic specialties within SF Match were included during the study period. Overall, 859 were female (12.3%), and 6110 were male (87.7%). The number of female applicants had an increasing trend over the 10-year period from 65 applicants in 2011 to 111 in 2021. The overall proportion of female applicants was between 10.1% and 14.4%. The annual match rate for female applicants was 90.7% to 100% during the study period while the match rate for male applicants was 93.7% to 97.3%. Regarding successful matches, pediatrics had the highest proportion of women (range: 30.2% to 46.2%), followed by foot and ankle (range: 9.8% to 26.4%). Spine (range: 3.2 to 10.9%) and adult reconstruction (range: 3.9% to 9%) had the least number of women among matched applicants. DISCUSSION: This study found that the number of female applicants to orthopaedic fellowships has increased over the past 10 years. The difference in fellowship match rates among male versus female applicants did not statistically differ during this 10-year period; however, the proportion of female fellows is not equally distributed among subspecialties, with a higher proportion of women matching into pediatrics and foot and ankle and lower proportion in reconstruction and spine. These data can provide a benchmark for department chairs and society leadership to ensure they are recruiting, interviewing, and selecting candidates who are representative of the current sex demographics of orthopaedic fellowship graduates.

Mind the Gap! Working Toward Gender Equity in Pediatric and Congenital Heart Disease: Present and Future.

Evidence from medicine and other fields has shown that gender diversity results in better decision making and outcomes. The incoming workforce of congenital heart specialists (especially in pediatric cardiology) appears to be more gender balanced, but past studies have shown many inequities. Gender-associated differences in leadership positions, opportunities presented for academic advancement, and recognition for academic contributions to the field persist. In addition, compensation packages remain disparate if evaluated based on gender with equivalent experience and expertise. This review explores these inequities and has suggested individual and institutional changes that could be made to recruit and retain women, monitor the climate of the institution, and identify and eliminate bias in areas like salary and promotions.

Trends in Gender of Authors of Patient Blood Management Publications.

BACKGROUND: Diverse representation in the field of patient blood management (PBM) may help bring varying perspectives to improve patient care. We assessed trends in gender of first and last authorship of recent PBM publications to evaluate diversity within the field. METHODS: Publications from 10 high-impact anesthesiology and blood transfusion medicine journals between 2017 and 2021 were reviewed using 19 keywords to identify PBM-related articles. Each publication title was reviewed independently to determine whether it met the inclusion criteria. A software program was used to identify the gender of each first and last author for the most common first names. Author gender that could not be identified through this process was determined by querying institutional websites and professional social networks (eg, ResearchGate). Any publication where the gender of the first and/or last author could not be reliably determined was excluded from the analysis. Trends over time were assessed using the Cochran-Armitage test. RESULTS: A total of 2467 publications met the inclusion criteria of the 2873 yielded by the initial search. Gender of the first and last author was identified for 2384 of these publications and included in the final analysis. Approximately 42.8% of publications featured a woman as the first author with the highest from the journals such as the Journal of the American Medical Association ( JAMA ) (48.7%) and Transfusion (48.1%) and the lowest from the journals such as the British Journal of Anaesthesia (24.1%) and Anesthesia & Analgesia (24.4%). Approximately 32.0% of the publications featured a woman as the last author with the highest being Transfusion (36.9%) and Anaesthesia (31.8%) and the lowest being Anesthesia and Analgesia (18.3%) and Anesthesiology (18.6%). Approximately 57.6% of publications had either a woman as the first or last author while 16.3% of the publications had women as both the first and last authors. Women authors comprised 32.6% of the publications with a single author. Women as the first or last authors did not change significantly over the study period ( P = .115 and P = .119, respectively). No significant difference was observed in the percentage of PBM articles with a woman as the first or last author, a woman as the first and last author, or a woman as a single author from 2017 to 2021 ( P = .089, P = .055, and P = .226, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: The percentage of women as the first and last authors in PBM publications from the 5-year period of 2017 to 2021 was <50%. Gender equity in PBM authorship was identified as an area for potential future improvement. International mentorship and sponsorship of women remain important in promoting gender equity in PBM authorship.

Mujer y urología: ¿cuál es la situación en España? / Women in urology: What is their current situation in Spain?

Objetivo Analizar la situación actual de las mujeres en la especialidad de Urología en España. Material y métodos Estudio descriptivo a partir de los resultados de una encuesta electrónica remitida entre febrero y abril de 2020 a través de la base de datos del grupo de Residentes y Jóvenes Urólogos (RAEU) de la Asociación Española de Urología (AEU). Se analizaron las características demográficas de la encuesta y los resultados de la misma. Resultados Se obtuvieron 257 respuestas, correspondientes a 210 mujeres (81,71%) y 47 hombres (18,29%) procedentes de 111 hospitales en total. Se obtuvieron diferencias estadísticamente significativas (p<0,001), con una mayor proporción de hombres en todas las categorías, excepto en el grupo de adjuntas y adjuntos jóvenes (29-39años; p=0,789) y en el de residentes mujeres frente a residentes hombres (p=0,814). En los hospitales con unidades subespecializadas se encontró un mayor número de hombres en todas, excepto en la unidad de suelo pélvico, en la que no se observó una diferencia estadísticamente significativa (p=0,06). Respecto a cargos de responsabilidad, en solo 7 de 111 hospitales había jefas de servicio. Conclusiones La presencia de las mujeres en la especialidad de Urología es cada vez mayor, debido mayoritariamente a las generaciones más jóvenes. Sin embargo, el acceso de estas mujeres a puestos de relevancia es anecdótica (AU)

Objective To analyze the current state of women in urology in Spain. Material and methods Descriptive study based on the results of an online survey sent between February and April 2020 through the database of the Residents and Young Urologists group (RAEU) of the Spanish Association of Urology (AEU). Demographic characteristics of the survey and its results were analyzed. Results In total, 257 responses were obtained from 210 women (81.71%) and 47 men (18.29%) belonging to 111 hospitals. Statistically significant differences were observed (P<.001) with a higher proportion of men in all categories except for the group of young female and male attendings (29-39 years, P=.789), and the group of female residents against male residents (P=.814). The number of men was higher in hospitals with subspecialty units except for the Pelvic Floor Unit, where no statistically significant difference was observed (P=.06). Regarding positions of responsibility, only 7 out of 111 hospitals had female department chiefs. Conclusions Women's representation in urology is increasing, mainly due to the younger generations. However, the access of these women to relevant positions is anecdotal (AU)

Uneven Progress in Gender Equality at Plastic Surgery Conferences: Lessons from a Decade of Meetings.

BACKGROUND: The demographics of plastic surgeons and plastic surgery trainees are changing, reflecting an increase in the diversity of medical school graduates. The authors investigated the gender diversity of speakers at several plastic surgery conferences and evaluated temporal trends over a 10-year period. METHODS: The following societies' conferences and years were included based on the conference agendas available for review: American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, Plastic Surgery Research Council, American Association of Plastic Surgeons, Northeastern Society of Plastic Surgeons, and American Society for Reconstructive Microsurgery. Differences in the average amount of time spoken were analyzed using an independent one-tailed t test. RESULTS: The number of female speakers and the time allotted to speak increased for all conferences. There was not a consistent difference in the amount of time individual men and women were allotted to speak. Across the five conferences, there was no consistent relationship found between years since board certification and female participation in conference. Gender diversity among speakers at plastic surgery conferences has not kept pace with the increase in female plastic surgery trainees because those who are selected to speak are overwhelmingly men. The hypothesis that a paucity of female speakers reflects the relatively shorter duration of career experience of female plastic surgeons was not supported by these findings. CONCLUSION: It is imperative that conferences increase the participation of women and strive toward more accurately reflecting the burgeoning role that female surgeons have in the field at present and will have in the future.

(#WomeninDDW) Persistent Speaker Gender Gap at the Premier Digestive Disease Event.

BACKGROUND: Over the last few decades, advances have been made regarding gender equality starting from medical students to trainees, to leadership in academics. The female representation in specialty academic conferences not only reflects the existing gender disparities in that specialty but also can influence young female trainees to join that field. Digestive Disease Week (DDW) is the premier digestive disease event. We aimed to calculate the proportion of female representation among speakers and moderators at the DDW meetings held from 2018 to 2020. METHODS: The data for DDW 2018-2020 were collected via the online web-based planner. The gender of speakers of presentations and moderators of sessions were identified by a google search. We further categorized the data by each participating society (AGA, ASGE, AASLD, and SSAT), by presentation track, by session track, and total overall representation in each year. RESULTS: Despite the subject of the gender gap being in focus, the proportion of female moderators and speakers was low in DDW in the last 3 years. The female speakers constituted 31.6% in 2018, 33.8% in 2019 and 34.6% in 2020. There was slightly improved female representation in sessions of Inflammatory Bowel Disease, Stomach, and Small Bowel Disorders, Microbiome in GI & Liver disease, and Basic Science over the last 3 years. CONCLUSION: Based on our study and those referenced in this article, we believe that strategies to promote the inclusivity of female moderators and speakers at DDW provide a huge opportunity to influence gender equity within GI.

Changing gender gap and practice patterns in reproductive endocrinology and infertility subspecialists in the United States: a Society for Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility report.

OBJECTIVE: To identify changes in current practice patterns, salaries, and satisfaction by gender and by years in practice among board-certified reproductive endocrinology and infertility (REI) subspecialists in the United States. DESIGN: Cross-sectional web-based survey including 37 questions conducted by the Society for Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility. SETTING: Not applicable. PATIENT(S): None. INTERVENTION(S): None. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): The primary outcome measures were total compensation and practice patterns compared by gender and the type of practice. The secondary outcomes included demographics, the number of in vitro fertilization cycles, surgeries performed, and the morale of survey respondents. RESULT(S): There were 370 respondents (48.4% women and 51.4% men). Compared with a similar survey conducted 6 years earlier, a 27% increase in the number of female respondents was observed in this survey. There was a marginally significant trend toward lower compensation for female than male REI subspecialists (17% lower, $472,807 vs. $571,969). The gap was seen for responders with ≥10 years' experience, which is also when there was the largest gap between private and academic practice (mean $820,997 vs, $391,600). Most (77%) felt positively about the current state of the reproductive endocrinology field, and >90% would choose the subspecialty again. CONCLUSION(S): There has been a substantial increase in the number of recent female REI subspecialists showing less disparity in compensation, and the gap appears to be closing. There is an increasing gap in compensation between private and academic practices with ≥5 years of experience. Reproductive endocrinology and infertility remains a high morale specialty.

Fifteen-year trends in participation of women in presentation and leadership positions in the Southern Association for Vascular Surgery, 2006 to 2020.

OBJECTIVE: The implementation of integrated vascular surgery training programs was recently shown to be associated with an increase in women entering the field. However, whether this has precipitated a subsequent increase in the active participation of women in academic vascular societies remains unclear. We sought to examine the trends of academic inclusion of women vascular surgeons and surgical trainees over the past 15 years at the Southern Association for Vascular Surgery (SAVS). METHODS: Scientific programs for annual meetings of the SAVS, and program matriculation statistics from the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education, were reviewed for the period of 2006 to 2020. Yearly rates and 3-year averages of conference and society participation and vascular surgery training program matriculation rates were calculated and compared with proportion testing. Spearman correlation testing was used to compare trends, with ρ ≥0.600 defined as a strong correlation. RESULTS: Examining 3-year means, the average number of women authors per SAVS abstract increased from 0.78 to 1.42 over the course of the study period (P < .001), and the overall rate of women authors steadily increased from 12.8% to 21.5% (P < .001). Although this remains less than the proportion of women matriculating into vascular surgery programs in 2019 (29.3%; P = .007), the upward trend of women entering vascular surgery overall, and particularly vascular surgery fellowship, strongly correlates with the average number of women authors on abstracts at SAVS (ρ = 0.709 and ρ = 0.737, respectively). The percentage of women presenting authors increased from 9.7% to 28.4% (P = .004), but there was no increase in the percentage of women senior authors (10.1% to 9.6%; P = .92). In the 15-year period, only one abstract of 347 (0.3%) had full authorship by women vs 35.1% with full authorship by men (P < .001). Although the increase of women matriculating into vascular surgery programs over the study period did not correlate with the increase of women in senior leadership positions (ρ < 0.600), there was an increase in the number of women in committee chair positions (0.0% to 25.9%; P = .005), which correlated strongly with increasing society membership (ρ = 0.716). Additionally, there was an increase in women holding executive council positions from 0% to 10.0% (P = .08), although this was not statistically significant. CONCLUSIONS: Participation of women authoring and presenting papers at the SAVS has increased over the past 15 years at a rate that strongly correlates with the increasing rate of women entering vascular surgery training programs. It is important that society leadership opportunities continue to parallel this trend as we seek to further improve diversity in vascular surgery.

Examining the Gender Gap in Emergency Medicine Research Publications.

STUDY OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to describe the proportion of female authors on original research articles and editorials across 4 emergency medicine journals from 2013 to 2019. A secondary objective was to examine the gender composition of middle authors in relation to the genders of their respective first and last authors. METHODS: In this observational study, we selected 4 journals in emergency medicine using the Journal of Citation Reports and prior literature to analyze genders of all authors from research articles and editorials published from January 2013 to September 2019. Reviewers identified author genders through web searches with matching academic qualifications or used a gender identification application programming interface to identify likelihood of male or female identity. The primary outcome was the proportion of female authors in each position. RESULTS: Selected publications included 2,980 original research articles with 18,224 authors (median 6, interquartile range [IQR] 4 to 8) and 433 editorials with 986 authors (median 2, IQR 1 to 2). Women occupied 34.9%, 24.3%, and 36.5% of first, last, and middle author positions on original research articles and 23.8%, 20.5%, and 34.2% of first, last, and middle author positions among editorials, respectively. Publications with female first and last authors (n=340 articles) had a larger proportion of female middle authors (49%, 634/1,290) compared to publications with male first and last authors (n=1667 articles, female middle authors 33% [2,215/6,771]). CONCLUSION: Over the 7 years examined, female authorship in these emergency medicine journals increased. A more pronounced gender gap exists in editorial authorship compared to research articles. On publications where the first and last author were women, a higher proportion of middle authors were women.

Analysis of authorship trends in vascular surgery demonstrates a sticky surgical floor for women.

OBJECTIVE: Prior research in vascular surgery has identified significant gender disparities in leadership positions, but few data exist regarding gender disparities in vascular publications. This study aims to evaluate authorship trends by gender in the three highest impact factor vascular surgery journals. METHODS: In this bibliometric analysis, PubMed was searched for articles published in the European Journal of Vascular and Endovascular Surgery, the Journal of Vascular Surgery, and Annals of Vascular Surgery from 2015 to 2019. The web-based application Genderize used predictive algorithms to classify names of first and last authors as male or female. Statistical analyses regarding trends in authorship were performed using Stata16. RESULTS: A total of 6457 articles were analyzed, with first author gender predicted with >90% confidence in 83% (4889/5796) and last author gender in 88% (5078/5796). Overall, 25% (1223/4889) of articles had women first authors, and 10% (501/5078) had women last authors. From 2015 to 2019, there was a slight increase in the proportion of articles written by women first authors (P = .001), but no increase in the proportion of articles written by women last authors (P = .204). The proportion of articles written by women last authors was lower than the proportion of active women vascular surgeons in 2015 (8% of articles vs 11% of surgeons; P = .015), 2017 (9% of articles vs 13% of surgeons; P < .001), and 2019 (11% of articles vs 15% of practicing surgeons; P < .001). The average number of last-author publications was higher for men (2.35 ± 3.76) than for women (1.62 ± 1.88, P = .001). The proportion of unique authors who were women was less than the proportion of active women vascular surgeons in 2017 (10% unique authors vs 13% surgeons; P = .047), but not in 2015 (9% unique authors vs 11% surgeons; P = .192) or 2019 (13% unique authors vs 15% surgeons; P = .345). Notably, a woman last author was associated with 1.45 higher odds of having a woman first author (95% confidence interval, 1.17-1.79; P = .001). CONCLUSIONS: Over the past 5 years, there has been no significant increase in women last authors among top-tier journals in vascular surgery. Women remain under-represented as last authors in terms of proportion of published articles, but not in terms of proportion of unique authors. Nevertheless, women last authors are more likely to publish with women first authors, indicating the importance of women-led mentorship in achieving publication gender equity. Support for women surgeons through grants and promotions is essential not only for advancing last authorship gender equity, but for advancing junior faculty and trainee academic careers.

National Trends in Gender Diversity Among Trainees and Practicing Physicians in Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery in Canada.

Importance: Monitoring the evolution of gender diversity within medicine is essential to understanding the medical workforce and anticipating its future. Objective: To evaluate gender distribution and trends among trainees and practicing physicians in the field of otolaryngology-head and neck surgery (OHNS) across Canada. Design, Setting, and Participants: This cross-sectional study collected demographic data on the Canadian population, medical students, resident physicians, fellows, practicing physicians, and full-time professors from the following publicly available databases: the Canadian Post-MD Education Registry, the Canadian Medical Education Statistics from the Association of Faculties of Medicine of Canada, the Canadian Medical Association Masterfile, the Canadian Resident Matching Service archives, and the Canadian Institute for Health Information from 2000 to 2019. Information about the gender distribution in leadership positions and fellowships was obtained through publicly available websites where gender was either listed or assigned by authors. Main Outcomes and Measures: The primary outcomes were the proportion of women in OHNS and the evolution of gender diversity over time. Results: In 2019, 65 of 155 of OHNS trainees were female (41.9%), whereas female representation among all surgical trainees combined was 1225 of 2496 (49.1%). Female OHNS trainees and practicing physicians are underrepresented despite a 13.3% increase in female trainees and a 14.3% increase in female staff physicians from 2000 to 2019. Proportionally fewer female graduates pursued a fellowship during a 10-year period compared with their male counterparts, with otology and neurotology having the lowest female representation (6 of 27 [22.2%]). A minimal increase occurred in the number of women holding academic leadership positions (eg, 4 of 13 residency training programs had a previous or current female director). Conclusions and Relevance: Despite the overall increase in the representation of women in the field of OHNS in Canada, these findings suggest that persistent gender gaps remain with respect to academic leadership positions and fellowship training. Continuous monitoring of the surgical workforce is important to highlight and address gender disparities within OHNS.

Building Inclusive Work Environments.

A truly inclusive organization cultivates a sense of belonging and value in its members, realizing their contributions are vital to its success. Acknowledging and then dismantling exclusionary systems and policies are essential to creating environments grounded in diversity and equity. This process requires intentionality, accountability, and swift action on the part of leadership. Additionally, the role of organizational accountability, through tracking performance metrics, gauging employee satisfaction and engagement, and routinely assessing identified goals and objectives, is critical to sustaining inclusivity. In this article, we present a review of the literature and offers recommendations to build and sustain an inclusive environment.

Advancing Women to Leadership Positions Through Individual Actions and Institutional Reform.

Women in medicine experience disparities in the workplace and in achieving leadership roles. They face challenges related to climate and culture, equitable compensation, work-life integration, opportunities for professional development and advancement, and occupational and systemic factors that can lead to burnout. Without specific resources to support women's development and advancement and promote conducive workplace climates, efforts to recruit, retain, and promote women physicians into leadership roles may be futile. This article is designed for 2 audiences: women physicians of all career stages, who are exploring factors that may adversely impact their advancement opportunities, and leaders in academic medicine and health care, who seek to achieve inclusive excellence by fully engaging talent. The need for greater representation of women leaders in medicine is both a moral and a business imperative that requires systemic changes. Individuals and institutional leaders can apply the practical strategies and solutions presented to catalyze successful recruitment, retention, and promotion of women leaders and widespread institutional reform.

The Path Forward: Using Metrics to Promote Equitable Work Environments.

Women continue to be underrepresented in medicine, especially in senior leadership positions, and they experience challenges related to gender bias and sexual harassment. Women who are members of multiple groups that experience marginalization, including, for example, women who are American Indian, Alaskan native, indigenous, Black, or Hispanic, face a compounded challenge. In this article, we explore how institutions and professional organizations in medicine can use metrics to better understand the structural disparities that create and promote gender inequity in the work environment and how to employ these metrics to track progress in narrowing these gaps. Examples in health care (clinical medicine, scientific organizations, scientific publishing), business, and law are used to illustrate how impactful metrics can promote accountability when coupled with transparent reporting.

Women in Neurosurgery Around the World: A Systematic Review and Discussion of Barriers, Training, Professional Development, and Solutions.

BACKGROUND: Women have been a minority in neurosurgery since the foundation of the specialty. Women who choose to pursue neurosurgery or advance in their career must overcome various obstacles. In this article, we discuss the proportion of women in neurosurgery globally and the obstacles they face, as well as the solutions being implemented. METHODS: A systematic review of studies concerning international women in neurosurgery was conducted. Article inclusion was assessed based on relevance to women of neurosurgery, geographic region, date, and classification (rates/data, barriers, or solutions). RESULTS: From the specified search, 127 articles were retrieved, and 27 met the inclusion criteria. Of the total, 25 countries were represented and discussed in the articles. Primary classification of articles resulted in 50 for data/rates, 22 for barriers, and 17 for possible solutions. DISCUSSION: Despite cultural differences among unique regions of the globe, women face similar challenges when pursuing neurosurgery, such as difficulty advancing their careers, balancing duties at work and at home, meeting social and cultural expectations, and finding support and mentorship. Encouragingly, measures are already being implemented worldwide to allow women to fulfill their multiple other roles through maternity leave policies, increasing their access to mentors, and enabling promotions throughout their careers. CONCLUSIONS: With the shortage of neurosurgeons in many regions of the world, the recruitment of female neurosurgeons plays a vital role in meeting those demands. Our cultures and professional societies should celebrate their inclusion and promotion and accommodate the complex role of women as neurosurgeons, mothers, partners, scientists, and leaders.

Representation of women in vascular surgery science and societies.

OBJECTIVE: Medical schools and surgical residencies have seen an increase in the proportion of female matriculants, with 30% of current vascular surgery trainees being women over the past decade. There is widespread focus on increasing diversity in medicine and surgery in an effort to provide optimal quality of patient care and the advancement of science. The presence of gender diversity and opportunities to identify with women in leadership positions positively correlates with women choosing to enter traditionally male-dominated fields. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the representation of women in regional and national vascular surgical societies over the last 20 years. METHODS: A retrospective review of the meeting programs of vascular surgery societies was performed. Data were collected on abstract presenters, moderators, committee members and chairs, and officers (president, president-elect, vice president, secretary, and treasurer). The data were divided into early (1999-2009) and late (2010-2019) time periods. RESULTS: Five regional and five national societies' data were analyzed, including 139 meetings. The mean percentage of female abstract presenters increased significantly from 10.9% in the early period to 20.6% in the late period (P < .001). Female senior authors increased slightly from 8.7% to 11.5%, but this change was not statistically significant (P = .22). Female meeting moderators increased significantly from 7.8% to 17.2% (P < .001), as well as female committee members increased from 10.9% to 20.3% (P = .003). Female committee chairs increased slightly from 10.9% to 16.9%, but this difference was not statistically significant (P = .13). Female society officers increased considerably from 6.4% to 14.8%. (P = .002). Significant variation was noted between societies, with five societies (three regional and two national) having less than 10% women at the officer level in 2019. There was a wide variation noted between societies in the percentage of female abstract presenters (range, 7.6%-34.9%), senior authors (3.9%-17.9%), and meeting moderators (5.4%-40.7%). CONCLUSIONS: Over the past two decades, there has been a significant increase in the representation of women in vascular surgery societies among those presenting scientific work, serving as meeting moderators, and serving as committee members. However, the representation of women among committee chairs, senior authors, and society leadership has not kept up pace with the increase noted at other levels. Efforts to recruit women into the field of vascular surgery as well as to support the professional development of female vascular surgeons are facilitated by the presence of women in leadership roles. Increasing the representation of women in vascular society leadership positions may be a key strategy in promoting gender diversity in the vascular surgery field.