The Beginning of the End.

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between gender, research productivity, academic rank, and departmental leadership positions of pathology faculty in North America. The online information presented for the faculty members in all American- and Canadian-accredited pathology residency programs' official websites and Elsevier's SCOPUS were queried to assess research productivity, academic ranks, and leadership positions. Among 5,228 academic pathologists included in our study, there were 3,122 (59.7%) males and 2,106 (40.3%) females. Male faculty held higher academic ranks (being professor) and leadership positions (chair/program director) (P < .0001). Males were more likely to hold combined MD-PhD degrees (P < .0001) than females. The median h-index for the male faculty was 17 vs 9 for the female faculty (P = .023). Gender has a significant influence on leadership positions, academic ranks, and research productivity among pathology faculty members in North America.