Polly Hofmann, PhD
Associate Dean of Faculty Affairs, College of Medicine
Professor in Physiology

WOMEN AND ACADEMIC BENCHMARKS
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
MD
Graduates
MD
Residents
Instructor
PhD
Instructor
MD
Assist Prof
PhD
Assist Prof
MD
Assoc Prof
PhD
Assoc Prof
MD
Professor
PhD
Professor
MD
Chair Dean
Source: AAMC Website 2009-2010 data

CONTRIBUTING FACTORS TO A CEILING EFFECT
• Pregnancy and Family
• Real Differences :
• Academics and publication number for promotion
• Practice Group and a consistent contribution to move to the next level
• Cultural Attitudes :
• Excused from teaching to be on an editorial board – acceptable
• Reduction in teaching due to pregnancy - a burden and commitment is questioned
• Discrimination
• Reduced Networking at Highest Levels
• Self-Elimination
• “Many women feel they have to be better than their male counterparts to be considered equal. […]
They worry that they will not be able to super-compete at a more advanced level”
Dr. Nancy Andrews , Dean School of Medicine Duke University, 2002 Nature Medicine 5:439-441
• Burn out, throw in the towel prematurely, counterproductive tension

SELECT CHARACTERISTICS AND STARTING
SALARIES OF NEW PHYSICIANS BY GENDER
% of PHYSICIANS
Men Women Men
MEAN STARTING SALARY
Women Difference
PRACTICE TYPE
Group Practice
Hospital, Inpatient
Academic Health Center
47.5
18.6
2.8
44.9
18.1
3.7
$195,781
$179,219
$159,791
$162,538
$159,290
$140,092
-$33,243
-$19,929
-$19,699
HOURS / WEEK
30-39 hours
50 or more hours
19.2
37.3
24.9
23.4
$184,793
$201,591
$159,594
$174,635
SPECIALTY
Pediatrics, general
Internal Medicine, general
Obstetrics and Gynecology, general
Cardiology
5.0
18.2
2.5
4.1
13.9
16.0
10.5
1.3
$125,343
$154,900
$203,789
$228,188
Source: Lo Sasso et al 2011 Health Affairs 30:193-201;
Data from New York state survey response of ~8000 residents that completed training in 1999-2008.
$116,950
$142,526
$182,047
$204,671
-$25,199
-$26,956
-$8,393
-$12,374
-$21,742
-$23,517

PROBING THE WIDENING SALARY GAP
• Why now? “……physician practices may now be offering greater flexibility and family-friendly attributes that are more appealing to female practitioners
but that come at the price of commensurately lower pay.”
Lo Sasso et al 2011 Health Affairs 30:193-201
• Examples: on call, nights and weekend shifts

SALARIES OF P
H
D
S
BY GENDER
• Women university professors are compensated 90-92% of their male colleagues.
Source: 2006 Survey by American Association of University Professors.
Match for rank, for public institutions which award doctorates, and is not specific for academic health science centers
• Pharmaceutical Industry? For male and female managers (not science specific), women earn roughly 77 cents for every dollar earned by men with the same job description, qualifications, and hours worked.
Source: US Government Accountability Office 2010 Report

HOWEVER
• Academia, industry, and practice groups are far more welcoming to women than in past years. At entry level, the playing field is mostly even.
• But…….navigation skills are needed………

DECISIONS ON THE HORIZON
• Medical specialty or area of scientific expertise?
• Academics, private practice, hospital inpatient, industry?
• Negotiating your first contract in a practice group or a start-up package in research?
• Nuances of a specialty in science or medicine; i.e. the stuff not in journals?
• Promotion, how to?
• Board exams or grants?

WHY MENTORING?
• Scary not knowing what you are doing
• Expands scope and gets you thinking outside the box
• You cannot learn it all from a book
• Science and medicine careers are C-O-M-P-L-E-X
• Networking

WHEN IS THE RIGHT TIME TO FIND A MENTOR?
Classroom working as individual
▼
In the lab or in clinics working in small team
▼
▼

HOW TO FIND A MENTOR?
• Access your needs and define your questions
• Identify possible mentors: o o o same area of research practitioner in area you are interested in senior member of dept or practice group o alignment of interests
• Take the initiative
• Handling first contact: o o o request for appointment e-mail defining request don’t take “no” personally and don’t stop looking

FUNCTIONAL MENTORING
• Functional mentoring does not depend on personality but tasks
• Identify what you need and want out of relationship
• Go to or e-mail individual with DEFINED questions you are looking for answers to or DEFINED tasks you face and would like some input
• At the first meeting set up goals and an informal timeline of meetings
• Return prepared for next meeting
• Remember:
Mentee has the primary responsibility for development of own career.
This is a change from being a student.

PEER MENTORING
• Share information
• Group thinking outside the box
• Be supportive and respectful
• The power of partnership

STAYING ON THE MENTORING TRACK
• Honor time
• Be concise and limit whining
• Be professional and stay in your own lane
• Be specific with goals and prepared at the next meeting
• Maintain communication
• Not all mentoring partnerships work out
• Have multiple mentors to get different perspectives

TOOLS IN CAREER DEVELOPMENT
• Mentoring Partnerships
• Individual Career Development Plan

Academic Track: PhD or MD Private Practice Group: MD
• Appraisal of current skills
• Identify short and long term goals
• Short term skills list, specific action, ~dates o
New lab techniques o o o o o o
Interpersonal
Networking: local & national conferences
Time management
Mentoring
Presentation
Grants and writing o o o o
Project and budget management
NIH / Funding Agency trends
Teaching
Yearly review of professional performance & life satisfaction/balance
• Appraisal of current skills
• Identify short and long term goals
• Short term skills list, specific action, ~dates o
Maintaining ACGME competencies o o o o o
Interpersonal
Networking: local & national conferences
Time management
Mentoring
Quality performance measures & Managed
Care Industry o o o o o
Office management
Community Service
Maintenance of license & certification
Continuing Education: formal & informal
Yearly review of professional performance & life satisfaction/balance

TOOLS IN CAREER DEVELOPMENT
• Mentoring Partnerships
• Individual Career Development Plan
• Workshops:
• Grant and Science Writing
• Research and Medical Symposia
• Composing CVs / Interviewing Skills / Applying for a Job
• Personal Statements and Letters of Recommendation
• Personal Contract/Compensation Negotiations
• Networking
• READ: in your field of interest but also on skills to help your career progress

Luck favors the prepared.
Louis Pasteur