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s the quest for gender equity and inclusion at the School of


                       Medicine and Dentistry unfolds on these pages, we celebrate

       A some trailblazers and new leaders who, by example and advocacy,


        are driving the advancement of women in medicine and science.



       In 2017, for the first time in history, men no longer made up the   much time and energy thinking about the progress we’ve made,
       majority of students entering U.S. medical schools. But a leaky   sometimes that distracts us from how far we still have to go.”
       pipeline still exists when it comes to women advancing in clinical
       and research careers. There are disparities in salaries, promotions,   According to AAMC, women across the country account for 16
       awards, and research funding, as well as underrepresentation in   percent of medical school deans and 18 percent of department
       academic leadership positions and scholarly work.           chairs—each figure rising just 4 percent and 6 percent,
                                                                   respectively, over the past 10 years. The number of female full
       The University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry—  professors in academic medicine has increased only from 19 to 25
       where the percentage of male and female medical students is split   percent in the last decade.
       down the middle—is not immune to a gender gap at the highest
       levels, but is working hard to change that.                 “That’s nowhere near where we want it to be,” adds
                                                                   Lautenberger. “We need to move the needle at a much higher and
       Only 30 percent of deans, department chairs, and executive-level   faster rate.”
       administrators are women. Men hold four times the number of
       chair positions as women, and are 44 percent more likely to be   AAMC’s next “The State of Women in Academic Medicine”
       promoted to full professor.                                 report, coming out in November, will include a more
                                                                   comprehensive snapshot than usual of female experiences in
       It takes conscious and steady effort to make a dent in such a   a male-dominated field—pulling data from engagement and
       pervasive, historical imbalance, and the medical school is taking   satisfaction surveys, as well as health care surveys, to learn about
       that effort seriously. For one thing, it has increased the number of   climate and culture.
       full-time professors and other leadership positions over the past
       three years. And numerous resources already are available or being   The medical school and the Medical Center “are creating more
       initiated to ensure that women feel their perspectives are noticed—  ways for women to get together to talk about ways the culture and
       and valued.                                                 structure needs to change, and how they can support each other,”
                                                                   says Vivian Lewis, MD, who recently retired as vice provost for
       “The whole picture at the top is changing,” says Linda H.   Faculty Development and Diversity in the Provost’s Office at the
       Chaudron (MD ’92), senior associate dean for Inclusion and   University of Rochester.
       Culture at the medical school. “The institutional support to assure
       equity and advance women and other underrepresented groups is   Aside from helping to launch policies focused on families,
       not just visible, but authentic.”                           harassment, and discrimination, the office researches aspects
                                                                   of climate and faculty satisfaction. In spring 2020, data will
       That support extends to the University of Rochester Medical   be available from a three-year effort with the Collaborative on
       Center, with administrators becoming more intentional about   Academic Careers in Higher Education at the Harvard Graduate
       breaking down institutional, systemic, and structural barriers   School of Education, in which anonymous exit interviews will help
       to gender equality. To achieve its full potential, a world-class   shed light on why women are leaving their positions.
       academic medical center’s leadership must reflect the diversity of
       the population it serves.                                   The Office for Inclusion and Culture, meanwhile, offers programs
                                                                   and events supporting the advancement of women in medicine
       It is a lengthy undertaking, being carried out in Rochester and on a   and science throughout their careers.
       national level.
                                                                   For instance, the annual Tana Grady-Weliky, MD, Lecture on
       “There has been slow and steady progress over time, and we   Women and Diversity in Medicine hosts nationally known figures
       really need to celebrate our wins,” says Diana Lautenberger,   in academic medicine to focus on issues of importance to women
       director for Faculty and Staff Research at the Association of   and others from underrepresented groups in medicine. In 2020,
       American Medical Colleges. “At the same time, by spending too   Deborah German, MD (Res ’79)—an alumna of the internal
                                                                   medicine residency—will be the keynote speaker.


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