FEATURE
the incident (or incidents) had a negative
effect on their personal and professional
confidence.
“As we’ve seen disclosures in other
fields, we are realizing that this is a far-
reaching societal problem,” Dr. Jagsi said.
“Perhaps things haven’t changed as much
as we might have hoped.”
She reflected on these findings in a
recent perspective article published in The
New England Journal of Medicine. 15 The
essay, Dr. Jagsi told ASH Clinical News,
was written for the many women who
shared accounts of their own harassment
following her 2016 study. They never dis-
closed these incidences publicly because
of the stigma of accusing someone of
harassment and the career repercussions
that could follow.
“When you have devoted your entire
life to your career – especially in medicine,
where training is arduous and subspecial-
ties create small communities – you worry
about your professional identity being
threatened by speaking out. Many women
decide that the benefits of reporting simply
don’t outweigh the risks,” she noted.
The Way Forward
Still, Dr. Jagsi is an eternal optimist.
“The conversation has started, and
with so much evidence of gender bias, I
think right now we need to facilitate the
thoughtful implementations of interven-
tions we know work,” she said.
She added that she thinks people gen-
erally want to do good by others. “Many
people are aware of others’ unconscious
biases, but they don’t fully acknowledge
their own,” she explained. “I don’t think
people wake up in the morning wanting
to oppress the women that they employ.
We need to make it clear that our gender
biases are deeply rooted and not always
intentional. We are mostly decent human
beings, and we all need to combat these
issues together.”
Dr. Abbuhl agreed. “It’s too easy to
simplify things and say that this is all about
sexual harassment, but that is not the case.
We have to collectively look at interven-
tions and solutions that account for the
complexity of these multifaceted gender
issues,” she said. “We can and should talk
about sexual harassment, but we also need
to focus on how we can make sustainable
careers for women – and men – in this
age of dual-career couples who are often
stretched thin with increasing demands.”
Like Dr. Jagsi, Dr. Abbuhl is optimis-
tic. The medical field is hierarchical and
structured, she noted, but it also con-
tinues to cultivate rich opportunities for
women. “Women represent 50 percent
of the best and brightest going into
medicine; we are a huge part of this field,
and there is power in numbers,” she said.
“Women are a powerful force, and as we
bring new strengths to medicine, we are
also bringing about needed change.”
—By Anna Azvolinsky ●
ASHClinicalNews.org
REFERENCES
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2. Silver JK, Bhatnagar S, Blauwet CA, et al. Female physicians are
underrepresented in recognition awards from the American
Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. PM R.
2017;9:976-84.
3. Brüggmann D, Groneberg DA. An index to characterize female
career promotion in academic medicine. J Occup Med Toxicol.
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4. Butkus R, Serchen J, Moyer DV, et al. Achieving gender equity in
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2018 May 15. [Epub ahead of print]
HELP
HEMATOLOGY
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FIND YOU!
5. Carnes M. The American College of Physicians is working hard
to achieve gender equity, and everyone will benefit. Ann Intern
Med. 2018 May 15. [Epub ahead of print]
6. Carnes M, Devine PG, Baier Manwell L, et al. The effect of an
intervention to break the gender bias hab it for faculty at one
institution: a cluster randomized, controlled trial. Acad Med.
2015;90:221-30.
7. Devine PG, Forscher PS, Cox WTL, et al. A gender bias habit-
breaking intervention led to increased hiring of female faculty
in STEMM departments. J Exp Soc Psychol. 2017;73:211-15.
8. Westring AF, Speck RM, Sammel, MD, et al. A culture conducive
to women’s academic success: development of a measure.
Acad Med. 2012;87:1622-31.
9. Doximity. “Second Annual Physician Compensation Report:
March 2018.” Accessed May 23, 2018, from https://
www.doximity.com/careers/compensation_report?_csrf_
attempted=yes.
10. Jagsi R, Griffith KA, Stewart A, et al. Gender differences in salary
in a recent cohort of early-career physician-researchers. Acad
Med. 2013;88:1689-99.
11. Jagsi, R, Guancial EA, Worobey CC, et al. The “gender gap”
in authorship of academic medical literature — a 35-year
perspective. N Engl J Med. 2006;355:281-7.
12. Jagsi R, Motomura AR, Griffith KA, et al. Sex differences in
attainment of independent funding by career development
awardees. Ann Intern Med. 2009;151:804-11.
13. Carr PL, Ash AS, Friedman RH, et al. Faculty perceptions of
gender discrimination and sexual harassment in academic
medicine. Ann Intern Med. 2000;132;889-96.
14. Jagsi R, Griffith KA, Jones R, et al. Sexual harassment and
discrimination experiences of academic medical faculty. JAMA.
2016;315:2120-1.
15. Jagsi R. Sexual harassment in medicine — #MeToo. N Engl J
Med 2018;378:209-11.
Mark Your Calendar
At this year’s American Society of
Hematology Annual Meeting, women
are invited to attend the Networking
Reception for Female Hematologists,
co-chaired by Amy DeZern, MD,
from Johns Hopkins University
and Jyoti Nangalia, MBBChir, from
Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute,
Cambridge, UK.
Networking Reception for
Female Hematologists
Monday, December 3, 2018
7:30 – 9:00 p.m.
Manchester Grand Hyatt,
Coronado Ballroom
San Diego, CA
ASH members can help patients find their
hematology practice by signing up to be
included in ASH’s Find a Hematologist
directory.
Visit www.hematology.org/Patients/FAH.aspx
to add your information!