EACTS WiCTS Launch New Initiatives

New initiatives have been launched by the EACTS Women in Cardiothoracic Surgery Committee to help female surgeons fulfil their educational and career ambitions and importantly, empower more women in cardiothoracic surgery to take up leadership positions. The EACTS Council has enthusiastically supported the proposals put forward by the committee.

Plans to support the professional development of women surgeons include the launch of a new eight-part webinar series focused on leadership and inclusion. The series, which will feature experts and guest speakers, will explore the challenges facing women cardiothoracic surgeons and raise awareness of gender equity in cardiothoracic surgery. The webinar series will be open to all EACTS members, regardless of gender or sex, who support the advancement of women in cardiothoracic surgery.

Work is also underway to develop a robust mentoring programme to support women in cardiothoracic surgery to grow and enhance their skills as a leader at every stage of their surgical career. In addition, the committee is developing a new diversity fellowship within the Francis Fontan Fund to enable a female resident or young surgeon to visit a female role model and learn from her (non-surgical) skills.

The impact of gender bias

A joint survey by EACTS and ESTS (European Society of Thoracic Surgeons) recently highlighted the impact of gender bias on a cardiothoracic surgery career.

The findings, which represent a snapshot of the members of the two societies, reveal that over a third of women cardiothoracic surgeons have considered leaving surgery because of gender discrimination.

The survey, which questioned 1,118 cardiothoracic surgeons (36% female and 64% male), found that women in cardiothoracic surgery experience significantly high rates of bias, with 67% of female respondents reporting unfair treatment due to gender discrimination compared to only 2.5% of male respondents. In addition, more women surgeons report feeling less valued in their current work environment compared to men and have lower career satisfaction.

According to the survey findings many women in cardiothoracic surgery believe that taking time off for parental leave is still considered an issue in cardiothoracic surgery. Both male and female respondents agree that women surgeons incur more disadvantages by having a family than male surgeons and that there is a lack of understanding about the difficulties women surgeons experience balancing work and family/personal life. In fact, nearly half of women (44%) report postponing having children compared to a much smaller percentage of men (14%).

Empowering and supporting women in cardiothoracic surgery from the beginning of their medical school and throughout their professional careers is key to improving the retention of female surgeons and reducing attrition along the pipeline in cardiothoracic surgery. The Women in Cardiothoracic Surgery Committee seeks to provide a forum for community-building, networking and leadership development for women cardiothoracic surgeons. We have a clear mission to promote diversity and inclusion within EACTS and the wider field and help more women establish themselves in cardiothoracic surgery and take up leadership roles.

Professor Jolanda Kluin, Chair of the Women in Cardiothoracic Surgery Committee

The Women in Cardiothoracic Surgery Committee recently welcomed two new additional members - Miia Lehtinen and Maroua Eid - to further strengthen the Committee and support its ongoing work.

Delivering positive change

Rafael Sádaba, EACTS Secretary General, said, “There is no place for gender bias in cardiothoracic surgery. Women surgeons should feel valued in their workplace and have the same opportunities to develop their education and their cardiothoracic careers as male surgeons.

“The survey findings send a clear message that more needs to be done to address gender discrimination across our specialty. We need to ensure women surgeons are supported and empowered to fulfil their surgical ambitions.

“Promoting diversity and inclusion is important to EACTS and we recognise that our Association has a leading role to help deliver positive cultural change. The Women in Cardiothoracic Surgery Committee was established to help more women surgeons attain leadership roles by enhancing education and development opportunities. These new initiatives demonstrate our commitment to address gender inequality, and this will continue to be a focus for our Association.

“Increasing diversity within the scientific community is important. We are committed to delivering a scientific programme at the Annual Meeting that is both inclusive and provides more opportunities for female surgeons to take on key roles such as chairs, panelists and moderators.”