Gender analysis of ophthalmology fellowship program directors and trainees

Purpose

To determine the gender ratios of ophthalmology fellows and fellowship program directors.

Design

Quantitative cross-sectional study.

Methods

Programs were identified using the Association of University Professors of Ophthalmology (AUPO) and the American Society of Ophthalmic Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery (ASOPRS) websites. Programs were contacted via email survey to determine the gender of the current fellow(s) and fellowship program director in the academic year 2022–2023. Fisher's Exact Test* was undertaken to establish statistical significance (p < 0.05) between female program director percentages across fellowship subspecialties.

Results

220 out of 287 programs were analyzed: pediatrics (9.1 %), neuroophthalmology (9.5 %), cornea (13.2 %), oculoplastics (16.8 %), uveitis (4.1 %), glaucoma (18.6 %), surgical retina (24.1 %), medical retina (2.3 %), and oncology/pathology (2.3 %). Women fellow-dominated subspecialties (>50 %) included pediatric ophthalmology (69.4 %), neuro-ophthalmology (65.6 %), oculoplastics (61.4 %), and cornea (58.8 %). Uveitis (45.4 %), glaucoma (44.6 %), and surgical retina (32.8 %) were considered women fellow minority subspecialties (< 50 %). Medical retina and oncology/pathology had equal representation of fellows (50 %). Women fellowship directors remain in the minority (< 50 %) across six of the nine fellowships examined; neuro-ophthalmology, oculoplastics, cornea, glaucoma, surgical retina, and oncology/pathology. The women fellow-dominated subspecialties had higher rates of women fellowship program directors (40.2 %) versus women fellow minority subspecialties (28.1 %) (p = 0.0811*).

Conclusion

There is a lack of women representation throughout the ophthalmology fellowship program leadership. Subspecialties with predominant women program directors have higher women fellow representation. Future investigations will focus on fellowship applicants and the influence the gender of the program director may have on selection criteria for various subspecialty training.