On April 10-11, the UAB Department of Surgery will host its second annual Women in Surgery Program, which aims to help promote community and camaraderie among female surgeons and encourage female undergraduate and medical students to choose surgical specialties.

“This year the program will focus on networking, mentorship and leadership,” said Dr. Catherine Parker, M.D., assistant professor in the UAB Division of Surgical Oncology and co-organizer of the two-day event. “Women are underrepresented in surgical faculty and leadership positions at U.S. medical schools. Through this program, we hope to highlight pathways to success for women in the surgical specialties and encourage undergraduate and medical students to pursue careers in surgery.”  

The program will include a networking reception sponsored by ARC Realty on Monday, April 10, and lectures from the following guest speakers:

·         Taylor S. Riall, M.D., Ph.D., F.A.C.S., professor and acting chair of the Department of Surgery at the University of Arizona, College of Medicine in Tucson

·         Lauren A. Walter, M.D., assistant professor in UAB Department of Emergency Medicine and founder of the Women of Emergency Medicine Mentorship and Interest Group

·         Mona Fouad, M.D., M.P.H., senior associate dean for diversity and inclusion

·         David A. Rogers, M.D., senior associate dean of faculty affairs and professional development

Please view the full schedule and RSVP here.  

Data from the Association of American Medical Colleges reveals that surgical departments have some of the lowest proportions of women in full-time faculty positions, with women constituting only 22 percent of surgical faculty. Additionally, of the 294 surgical department chairs at AAMC U.S. medical schools, only 1 percent are female. This is one of the lowest percentages among medical specialties.  

“All these statistics point to the importance of creating programs and resources to support female faculty, residents and students,” said Herbert Chen, M.D., chair of UAB Department of Surgery. “I am proud the Department of Surgery has seen a 33-percent increase in the number of female faculty members since 2013, but we still have more work to do. Opening dialogue with outstanding leaders such as Dr. Riall and Dr. Fouad on these topics should be valuable to both women and men interested in career advancement and pursuing leadership roles.”

EXTRA:

Additionally, on May 16, UAB will host Dr. Sharon L. Stein, associate professor at Case Western Reserve University, as part of the Kim Ephgrave Visiting Professor Program sponsored by the Association of Women Surgeons.

SOURCE:

https://members.aamc.org/eweb/upload/The%20State%20of%20Women%20in%20Academic%20Medicine%202013-2014%20FINAL.pdf