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Significant deficiency in mentorship amongst female neonatologists in the United States: a descriptive national survey by women in neonatology

Journal of Perinatology volume 43, pages 526–528 (2023)Cite this article

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In 2018, the Association of American Medical Colleges reported that women represent ~50% of United States medical school graduates, but constitute only ~25% of full professors and 18% of academic department chairs across medicine [1]. In 2020, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine report that for those women underrepresented in medicine (UriM), this disparity is greater [2]. Effective mentorship can support career progression, improve productivity and enhance satisfaction [3]. Mentorship can safeguard against burnout, help balance life and work [4], build professional networks, and offer perspectives for self-reflection [5]. Female mentors understand challenges faced by women in medicine, and can provide curated career guidance, support wellness, advocate and role model. The current state of mentorship amongst female neonatologists in the United States is unclear. This study aimed to describe the landscape, identify gaps, and serve as a needs assessment for a novel mentorship program.

Women in Neonatology (WiN) is a network of female neonatologists from the United States and Canada within the American Academy of Pediatrics Section on Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine formed to promote wellness and foster career development [6]. A 34-item electronic survey was developed by 5 female neonatologists from WiN. Four are current/ previous fellowship program directors; 2 are division chiefs. Collectively, they have 98 years of experience mentoring trainees and/ or junior faculty. Questions assessed benefits and challenges experienced by female neonatologists in personal and professional practice, impact of mentorship and gaps identified using Likert scale, multiple choice, and free-text (Supplement 1). Our survey did not assess the status of mentorship for male neonatologists.

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Fig. 1: Key opportunities and gaps in career development identified by female neonatologists.

Data availability

Data from the survey which are referenced in this article are available upon request.

References

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  2. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. Promising Practices for Addressing the Underrepresentation of Women in Science, Engineering, and Medicine: Opening Doors: Proceedings of a Symposium–in Brief [Internet]. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press; 2020 Apr. 11 pp. Available from: https://doi.org/10.17226/25785.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Newborn Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Boston Children’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA

    Kristen T. Leeman

  2. Department of Pediatrics, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA, USA

    Megan Gray

  3. Department of Pediatrics, Tufts School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA

    Christiane Dammann

  4. Department of Pediatrics, Baylor School of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA

    Kristina M. Reber

  5. Department of Pediatrics, Emory School of Medicine and Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, Atlanta, GA, USA

    Brenda Poindexter

  6. Department of Pediatrics, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA

    Lindsay C. Johnston

Authors
  1. Kristen T. Leeman
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  2. Megan Gray
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  3. Christiane Dammann
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  4. Kristina M. Reber
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  5. Brenda Poindexter
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  6. Lindsay C. Johnston
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Contributions

LJ and KL conceptualized this study and drafted the initial manuscript. MG conducted the statistical analysis. All authors critically reviewed and revised the manuscript for important intellectual content. All authors approved the final manuscript as submitted and agree to be accountable for all aspects of the work.

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Correspondence to Lindsay C. Johnston.

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Leeman, K.T., Gray, M., Dammann, C. et al. Significant deficiency in mentorship amongst female neonatologists in the United States: a descriptive national survey by women in neonatology. J Perinatol 43, 526–528 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41372-023-01616-5

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