Chicago and Los Angeles, Sept. 29, 2022 – The American Medical Women’s Association (AMWA) and Korn Ferry today released a joint report, Women in Medicine: Setting the Agenda for Change. The report highlights career challenges faced by women physicians across settings and provides strategies to advance gender equity and women’s leadership in healthcare.

“AMWA and Korn Ferry are committed to a shared goal: accelerating opportunities for women physicians in every area of healthcare – from academia, research and public health to venture capital, start-ups and technology,” said Eliza Lo Chin, MD, MPH, Executive Director of AMWA. “Increasing diversity improves patient care, work cultures, and the bottom line of our healthcare institutions.”

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, women make up more than 75% of the healthcare workforce but represent only 30% of executive leadership and 13% of CEOs. Research published in the New England Journal of Medicine finds that in 35 years, there has been minimal progress in advancing women to senior academic leadership positions, where 21.1% of department Chairs and 19% of Medical School Deans are women.

According to the report, the pandemic caused a rollback in progress across many markers for equity, including unprecedented job and income losses for women. Those who continued working saw increased job responsibilities, exposure to hazards and on-the-job stress.

The AMWA/Korn Ferry Women in Medicine report exposes challenges that must be addressed:  

• Fixing the gender gap in healthcare leadership 
• Promoting respect, equity, and work-life integration 
• Expanding women’s representation across specialties 

“Our shared vision is to advance more women in leadership roles, bringing influence and innovation across the spectrum of healthcare and medicine and in all sectors,” said Liz Bickley, Korn Ferry Senior Client Partner in the firm’s Healthcare advisory business. “We need to improve work systems and cultures to better support women physicians and improve patient care.”

About AMWA

The American Medical Women’s Association is a multispecialty organization of women physicians committed to advancing women in medicine, advocating for equity, and ensuring excellence in health care. www.amwa-doc.org

About Korn Ferry

Korn Ferry is a global organizational consulting firm. We work with our clients to design optimal organization structures, roles, and responsibilities. We help them hire the right people and advise them on how to reward and motivate their workforce while developing professionals as they navigate and advance their careers.

CONTACTS:       

Heather Van Ness

AMWA Director of Communications hvanness@amwa-doc.org

(917) 680-4440

Tracy Kurschner

Tracy.kurschner@kornferry.com

612.309.3957