Assessing and Enhancing the DFM Gender Climate

Background

While the Department of Family Medicine is comprised of more than 50% women, few women hold formal leadership roles in the Department. This relatively low percent of women in leadership roles in the DFM reflects local and national trends. While more than 50% of medical students are now women, relatively few progress to assume leadership roles in academic medicine. Over the last twenty years, despite significant increases in the number of women entering medicine, the number of women who have assumed leadership roles in academic medicine has grown very little.

Why are few women entering careers or leadership roles in academic medicine? Is this a concern? If so, then what can be done? These questions have been the focus of national investigations by the American Association of Medical Colleges (AAMC) and local efforts at the UW and UW School of Medicine and Public Health. In response to these concerns John Frey, MDasked us (Cindy Haq, MD, Melissa Stiles, MD and Kathy Oriel, MD) to address gender issues in the DFM.

DFM Gender Task Force

We began discussions years ago, and formally initiated the task force in October 2004. We will work with others to assess and improve the gender climate in the Department starting with faculty in Madison, and later expand to include members of the statewide Department, academic and classified staff. We identified necessary resources including participation of our highly regarded local ombuds, Rosa Garner of the UW School of Medicine and Public Health.

We outlined the following:

1. Objectives:

• Provide a safe forum for DFM faculty to discuss gender climate
• Assess gender climate
• Raise awareness of gender issues that may impact job satisfaction and effectiveness of women and men
• Assess physician work issues that may impact women's satisfaction and retention
• Explore roles of women in the DFM, especially in regards to leadership
• Develop plans to improve the gender climate
• Track progress over time

2. Methods:

• Conduct meetings and focus group discussions to collect qualitative feedback
• Review work climate surveys already collected in regards to gender climate
• Consider selection or development of simple tools to assess climate and measure progress
• Provide annual report and recommendations to the DFM Executive Committee, Dean's office and others

Progress

A DFM-Madison women's faculty meeting was held in November; more than 15 women contributed to lively discussions in which we shared our hopes and celebrated progress. We reviewed and discussed surveys already collected by the UW School of Medicine and Public Health and DFM. Those who attended felt further meetings would be valuable.

Drs. Stiles and Oriel will conduct several women's meetings through the spring semester. Janet Bickel, consultant to the UW School of Medicine and Public Health from the AAMC, will be invited to present national findings to the DFM at the Madison faculty meeting in February. Women from the DFM will be invited to participate in processes to assess and improve the gender climate at the UW School of Medicine and Public Health. While we are just getting started, we are hopeful that this process will result in positive improvements in the Department of Family Medicine climate for everyone. Please contact Melissa Stiles, MD or Kathy Oriel, MD for further information about the DFM Gender Task Force; Cindy Haq, MD will be working in Uganda from January - May, 2005.