Abstract
Purpose :
To analyze the proportion of females presenting at 9 major ophthalmologic conferences over 3 years.
Methods :
Nine national ophthalmology conferences (AAPOS, ASOPRS, NANOS, ASCRS, AGS, AUS, ASRS, AAO, and ARVO) from 2015-2017 were selected for analysis. Conference brochures were obtained. Genders of first author presenters of papers and non-papers (moderators, presenters at symposia, panel discussions, workshops/ instructional courses, and video programs) were recorded. Student’s t-test and Cochran-Armitage trend test was used for analysis, with significance at p<0.05.
Results :
14,214 presenters were analyzed. Male presenters outnumbered female in all 3 years, with 30.9% female presenters in 2015, 28.1% in 2016, and 32.5% in 2017, for a total of 30.5%. The rates for each conference were as follows: AAPOS 47.4%, ASOPRS 35.3%, NANOS 41.1%, ASCRS 23.9%, AGS 28.8%, AUS 47.5%, ASRS 18.4%, AAO 30.9%, ARVO 36.8%. The overall rate was significantly lower than the expected rate of 33.1%, the portion of female board-certified ophthalmologists, p<0.001. Only ARVO demonstrated a statistically significant increase in the proportion of female presenters across the 3 years, p=0.009. Sub-group analysis of paper presentations demonstrated that females presented 33.1% of the time, equal to the expected value. Among all non-paper presentations, females presented 28.5% of the time, which is lower than the expected rate of 33.1%, p<0.001. There was a decrease in female paper presenters at ASCRS, p=0.001. There was an increase in female non-paper presenters at ASCRS (p=0.012), ARVO (p=0.001) and in conferences overall (p=0.014).
Conclusions :
When compared to the rate of female board-certified ophthalmologists, the overall rate of presenters and the rate of non-paper presenters were statistically significantly lower. With the current rate of female ophthalmology residents at 42%, we may be underestimating the expected rate of female presenters. As current residents advance in their careers, rates of females presenting should increase. Further research should be conducted to assure that the rates reflect our increasingly diverse group of ophthalmologists.
This abstract was presented at the 2019 ARVO Annual Meeting, held in Vancouver, Canada, April 28 - May 2, 2019.