Gender Differences in Appointments to Pathology Department Interim Chair Positions and Subsequent Advancement to Permanent Chair Positions

Authors

Mary F. Lipscomb, Department of Pathology, University of New Mexico School of Medicine, Albuquerque, NM, USA.
Nancy E. Joste, Department of Pathology, University of New Mexico School of Medicine, Albuquerque, NM, USA.
Madeleine Markwood, Association of Pathology Chairs, Wilmington, DE, USA.
David N. Bailey, Department of Pathology, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA.
Donna E. Hansel, Division of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA.
Merce Jorda, Department of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL, USA.
Debra GB Leonard, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Robert Larner, MD College of Medicine at the University of Vermont, Burlington, VT, USA.
Deborah Powell, Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA.
Amyn M. Rojiani, Department of Pathology, Penn State College of Medicine, Hershey, PA, USA.
Sandra J. Shin, Department of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine, Albany Medical College, Albany, NY, USA.
Ann Thor, Department of Pathology, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Denver, CO, USA.

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

4-24-2023

Abstract

Females are under-represented as departmental chairs in academic medical centers and identifying ways to increase their numbers in this position would be useful. A previous study of women chairs of pathology showed that 35% of permanent chairs had previously been interim chairs, suggesting that the interim position was a common pathway for women to advance to a permanent chair position. We sought to determine whether it might also be true for males and if not, possible reasons for the difference. Between January 2016 and June 2022, the Association of Pathology Chairs identified 50 people who had served as interim pathology department chairs. Males served as interim chairs more often than females (66% vs 34%), but, within this time frame, female interim chairs were more likely to become permanent chairs than males (47% of females compared to 27% of males). To better understand the difference in the rate of advancement from interim to permanent chair, we surveyed the 50 individuals who had served as interim chairs to explore gender differences in backgrounds, reasons for serving as interim chairs and reasons for seeking or not seeking the permanent chair position. No significant gender differences were found except that male interim chairs were older (59.2 years) than female interim chairs (50.4 years). This study affirms that serving as an interim chair is a common pathway for females to become permanent chairs, while it is less so for males, although the reasons for this difference could not be determined.

Recommended Citation

Lipscomb MF, Joste NE, Markwood M, Bailey DN, Hansel DE, Jorda M, Leonard DGB, Powell D, Rojiani AM, Shin SJ, Thor A. Gender differences in appointments to pathology department interim chair positions and subsequent advancement to permanent chair positions. Acad Pathol. 2023 Apr 24;10(2):100082. doi: 10.1016/j.acpath.2023.100082. PMID: 37168284; PMCID: PMC10164771.