The percent of female Mohs micrographic surgery fellows increased from 24% in 1996 to 42% in 2021. The percent of female Mohs micrographic surgery program directors increased from 3% in 1996 to 28% in 2021.
Clinical Pearls
This cross-sectional study analyzed trends in female representation within Mohs micrographic surgery fellowship programs in the United States from 1996 to 2022.
The total number and proportion of female fellows and program directors increased over the years studied.
The percent of female Mohs micrographic surgery fellows increased from 24% in 1996 to 42% in 2021. The percent of female Mohs micrographic surgery program directors increased from 3% in 1996 to 28% in 2021.
Discussion:
This recent study published by Gart et al. in JAMA Dermatology provides insight on female representation within Mohs micrographic surgery (MMS) fellowship programs. Specifically, the authors analyzed trends in the proportion of female MMS fellows and program directors in the United States from 1996 to 2022.
Using self-reported gender data from the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) and the American College of Mohs Surgery (ACMS), the authors assessed for overall change in the percentage of female representation of MMS fellows and program directors. Additionally, self-reported gender data was confirmed via the National Provider Identifier (NPI) registry.
Genders were confirmed in this study for 93 percent of program directors and 92% of fellows over the years included. The authors found female representation to increase both in total number and proportionally over time. Specifically, in 1996 only 7 out of 29 total MMS fellows were female (24%). While in 2021, 36 out of 84 total MMS fellows were female (42%). The number of female MMS program directors similarly increased. In 1996, 1 out of 30 total MMS program directors were female (3%) compared to 23 female program directors out of 83 total (28%) in 2021.
Interestingly, between the years 2015 and 2022, the proportion of female MMS program directors was found to decrease. The authors concluded this was likely due to new MMS programs with only male program directors developed during this time.
Overall, this study shows there has been much progress made in female representation within Mohs micrographic surgery, yet there is still room for improvement. One limitation of this study is that only male or female genders were included from the data examined, excluding those who may identify with a separate gender.
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