Research into the number of female speakers at medical conferences in the US and Canada has shown the proportion is increasing but more still needs to be done.
The study, published in Jama Ophthalmology and led by Calgary-based researcher Dr Shannon Ruzycki, analysed 181 medical conferences in 2007 and from 2013 through 2017, and found the proportion of female speakers increased from 24.6% to 34.1%, which was similar to the percentage of practicing female physicians during the same time frame. “Speaker invitation and selection at conferences represent important opportunities to influence gender equity within medicine,” wrote the authors, thus women continue to be underrepresented in this area.
