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Professional medical associations as catalytic pathways for advancing women in academic medicine and promoting leadership

Nature Medicine (2026)Cite this article

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Women in medicine face persistent structural and cultural barriers that disproportionately impede career advancement. Here we describe how professional medical associations can advance academic, scholarly and leadership development through inclusive strategies and practical frameworks designed to address both systemic and individual challenges.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Ochsner Neuroscience Institute, Ochsner Health, New Orleans, LA, USA

    Fawad A. Khan

  2. The University of Queensland Medical School, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia

    Fawad A. Khan

  3. Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA

    Margaret T. Gopaul

  4. West Haven Veterans Affairs Hospital, West Haven, CT, USA

    Margaret T. Gopaul

  5. Ochsner Center for Outcomes Research, Ochsner Clinic Foundation, New Orleans, LA, USA

    Elizabeth J. Howard

  6. Barrow Neurological Institute, St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center, Phoenix, AZ, USA

    Jennifer Robblee

  7. Department of Neurology, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center and Children’s Hospital of New Orleans, New Orleans, LA, USA

    Ann H. Tilton

  8. American Academy of Family Physicians, Washington, DC, USA

    Margot Savoy

Authors
  1. Fawad A. Khan
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  2. Margaret T. Gopaul
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  3. Elizabeth J. Howard
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  4. Jennifer Robblee
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  5. Ann H. Tilton
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  6. Margot Savoy
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Fawad A. Khan.

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The authors declare no competing interests.

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Khan, F.A., Gopaul, M.T., Howard, E.J. et al. Professional medical associations as catalytic pathways for advancing women in academic medicine and promoting leadership. Nat Med (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41591-026-04202-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41591-026-04202-2

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