WIP 33 - Defining the experiences and needs of women and URiM faculty in the Department of Pediatrics at a free-standing children's hospital

Publication Number: WIP 33.7606

Ishaan Jathal, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Rockledge, FL, United States; Olivia Stransky, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, United States; Eleanor A. Sharp, UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, United States; Sylvia Choi, UPMC Childrens Hospital of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, United States; Erika Friehling, UPMC Childrens Hospital of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, United States; Devora Bita. Azhdam, UPMC Childrens Hospital of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, United States; Dana Fuhrman, UPMC Childrens Hospital of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, United States; Noel B. Spears, CHP, Pittsburgh, PA, United States; Traci M. Kazmerski, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, United States

Background: Disparities for women physicians and groups underrepresented in medicine (URiM) are abundant. Opportunities for promotion, representation in leadership, and grant funding often vary by gender. Similarly, URiM physicians are promoted at lower rates and report more discrimination, as well as experiences of racism, clinical workload disparities, and disproportionate responsibilities in DEI efforts.

Objective: This study seeks to define and compare the experiences of the physician faculty workforce in the Department of Pediatrics (DOP) at a free-standing children’s hospital by gender and URiM status and identify differences in and barriers to academic success, work-life integration, and job satisfaction.

Design/Methods: We distributed a survey to DOP attending physicians (n=356) via email in October 2024. Survey items defined participant demographics, job roles (including clinical, research, educational, and leadership responsibilities), academic success, work stressors, stressors external to work, work-life integration, perceptions related to compensation, and facilitators for improvement. We developed the survey utilizing validated questions assessing items of interest (e.g.., burnout, career satisfaction) where available. We piloted the survey with participants (n=8) for feedback on clarity and length. We collected data using REDCap.

To date, 225 participants have completed the survey (67% women, 82% White, 10% Asian, 4.4% Hispanic, 2.7% Middle Eastern/North African, and 2.2% Black), resulting in a response rate of 63%. We will summarize the results using descriptive statistics and compare outcomes of interest by participant gender and race/ethnicity in November-February 2024. We hypothesize that women and URiM physicians will report more barriers to academic success than their peers, more stressors external to work, lower rates of successful work-life integration, and higher rates of dissatisfaction with their compensation. The University of Pittsburgh Institutional Review Board approved this study (#24070095).