In her chair: influences upon the professional success of female surgical department chairs
Alexandra B. Columbus MD MPH (1), Pamela Lu MD (1), Susanna S. Hill MD (2), Adam C. Fields MD (1), Jennifer S. Davids MD (2) Nelya Melnitchouk MD, MSc (1) 1) Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA 2) University of Massachusetts Memorial Medical Center, Worcester, MA, USA
Introduction: Only 4% of United States surgical department chairs are occupied by women. We sought to understand commonalities among these accomplished surgeons with attention towards moderators that positively impacted professional success.
Methods:
Current and emeritus female chairs of American academic surgical departments were invited to participate in semi-structured telephone interviews. Interviews focused on career influences and were performed to thematic saturation. Data were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim. Research team members inductively coded all transcripts. Coded data were analyzed to identify emergent themes.
Results:
76% of eligible candidates participated. Three major themes were identified. First, personality traits including confidence, resilience, and selflessness were shared between participants. Second, participants described two subtypes of external factors, overt and subtle, each of which included barriers and bolsters to career development (Figure). Overt support from mentors of both sexes was described as impactful. Subtle factors, such as gender norms on institutional and cultural levels, affected behavior by creating environments that supported or detracted from career advancement. A third theme, self-awareness and adaptability, was described as a major facilitator to career success.
Conclusions:
Participants described both internal and external factors that have impacted their advancement into leadership roles. Future attention towards encouraging intrinsic strengths, fostering environments that bolster career development, and emphasizing self-awareness and adaptability may be key components to career success and advancing diversity in surgical leadership roles. 
Back to 2019 Posters
