Sex differences in academic rank in allergy/immunology

Abstract

Background: Female physicians are significantly less likely than male physicians to be full professors, even after accounting for age, experience, specialty, and measures of research and clinical productivity.

Objective: We sought to evaluate sex differences in academic rank in the allergy and immunology workforce.

Methods: We used a cross-sectional physician data set containing the allergist's sex, age, years since residency, faculty appointment, authored publications, National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding, clinical trial investigation, and Medicare reimbursement to investigate sex differences in the academic allergy and immunology workforce using multilevel logistic regression models.

Results: Among 507 academic allergists (9.3% of practicing US allergists in 2014), 323 (63.7%) were men, and 184 (36.3%) were women. Female allergists were younger (47.9 vs 56.9 years, P < .001), had fewer total (12.5 vs 28.7, P < .001) and first/last author (8.0 vs 21.5, P < .001) average publications, were less likely to have NIH funding (13.0% vs 23.5%, P = .004), were less frequently a clinical trial investigator (10.3% vs 16.1%, P = .07), and generated less average annual Medicare revenue ($44,000 vs $23,000, P = .10). Of 152 (30.0%) full professors, 126 (82.9%) were male, and 26 (17.0%) were female. After multivariable adjustment, rates of full professorship among female and male allergists were not significantly different (absolute adjusted difference for female vs male allergists, 6.0%; 95% CI, -8.3% to 20.2%).

Conclusions: Among allergists with US medical school faculty appointments, men and women were similarly likely to be full professors after accounting for factors influencing promotion. Underlying differences in research productivity and NIH funding not explained by age differences alone warrant additional investigation.

Keywords: Allergy; advancement; disparity; professor; promotion; sex; women.

Figure 1.. Sex differences in academic allergy faculty rank

This figure displays the adjusted mean difference in academic rank for male and female U.S. academic allergists considering full professorship (vs. associate and assistant professor) and associate or full professorship (vs. assistant professor). The means are adjusted for age, years since residency completion, faculty appointment at US News and World Report “top 20” medical school, number of publications (first or last author and total), NIH grants, clinical trial investigation, and total Medicare payments.

Figure 2.. Sex differences in academic allergy faculty publications

This figure demonstrates sex differences in the adjusted mean difference in all publications and first or last author publications, adjusted for age, years since residency, faculty appointment at US News and World Report “top 20” medical school, NIH funding, and total Medicare payments.