Breaking the glass ceiling in interventional endoscopy: Practical considerations for women

September 23, 2020|GI and Hepatology News

Nazia Hasan, MD, MPH;Allison R. Schulman, MD, MPH

Resources

Although there continues to be a void for dedicated mentorship for female interventionalists, there have been many organizational initiatives to unite female gastroenterologists and promote the advancement of women. Several specific initiatives have been particularly effective. Women in Endoscopy (WIE) is a global organization that champions the advancement of women in GI through education, professional growth, and leadership development. In collaboration with the American Gastroenterological Association, they have recently held a virtual event focused on career advancement in the context of unique challenges for women, “Cross Your T’s to Success: How to Deliver a Great Talk, Get Your New Title and Seize Your Next Career Twist.” WIE has also recently launched a webinar series, “Women in Advanced Endoscopy: Fellows Educational Series,” that highlights practicing female interventionalists and illuminating the path to entering the field for trainees. In addition, the ASGE Leadership Education and Development (LEAD) Program has had longstanding success in providing young female gastroenterologists an opportunity to enhance their career advancement skills and facilitate the path to leadership positions. The popularity and success of the LEAD program has led the ASGE to create a special interest group known as ASGE Women in Endoscopy (AWE) with a mission to develop resources for career development during the first 5 years after fellowship. The American College of Gastroenterology also has a unique networking platform for women known as the Women in GI Circle. Furthermore, social media platforms such as Facebook’s Physician Moms Group (PMG) and Ladies of the Gut (LOG; group accessible by invitation only) have proved powerful in connecting female endoscopists and providing a great resource for quick guidance, encouragement, and commiseration. There are also multiple Facebook groups for breastfeeding physicians including Dr. Milk and other pump-specific groups. These online communities have facilitated the dissemination of high-quality resources for troubleshooting and general camaraderie.

Conclusion

Women remain a minority in GI, and especially in advanced endoscopy. Compared with surgical subspecialties that have witnessed substantial progress in the recruitment of women over the past decade, advanced endoscopy seems to be lagging far behind. Recent studies have shown that unified efforts from the surgical societies, such as establishing mentorship programs for trainees, have managed to increase the rates of women in general surgery programs from 14% in 2001 to 40% in 2017.^7,8 As the barriers for women entering advanced endoscopy are further understood, the underlying concern of reconciling a challenging field and motherhood has emerged as a common thread. While the practical information presented here cannot overcome the cultural constructs and implicit biases in which women practice advanced endoscopy, the hope is to provide a pragmatic approach to the perceived barriers and promote dialogue among women so that they, too, can pursue and thrive in the field of advanced endoscopy.

References

1. Trindade AJ et al. Characteristics, goals, and motivations of applicants pursuing a fourth-year advanced endoscopy fellowship. Gastrointest Endosc. 2012;76(5):939-44.

2. Pollack MJ et al. Gender disparities and gastroenterology trainee attitudes toward advanced endoscopic training. Gastrointest Endosc. 2010;72(5):1111.

3. Granato CM et al. Career prospects and professional landscape after advanced endoscopy fellowship training: a survey assessing graduates from 2009 to 2013. Gastrointest Endosc. 2016;84(2):266-71.

4. Family and Medical Leave Act. US Department of Labor. Accessed May 15, 2020. https://www.dol.gov/agencies/whd/fmla.

5. Pedrosa MC et al. Minimizing occupational hazards in endoscopy: Personal protective equipment, radiation safety, and ergonomics. Gastrointest Endosc. 2010;72(2):227-35.

6. Singla M et al. Training the endo-athlete: An update in ergonomics in endoscopy. Clin Gastro Hepatol. 2018;16(7):1003-6.

7. Aziz HB et al. 2018 ACS Governors Survey: Gender inequality and harassment remain a challenge in surgery. Bulletin of the American College of Surgeons. Accessed August 22, 2020. https://bulletin.facs.org/2019/09/2018-acs-governors-survey-gender-inequality-and-harassment-remain-a-challenge-in-surgery/

8. Abelson JS et al. The climb to break the glass ceiling in surgery: trends in women progressing from medical school to surgical training and academic leadership from 1994 to 2015. Am J Surg. 2016;212(4):566-72.e1.

Dr. Hasan is director of interventional endoscopy, department of gastroenterology and hepatology, NorthBay Healthcare Group; Dr. Schulman is an assistant professor, director of bariatric endoscopy, division of gastroenterology and hepatology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.