Opportunities for Advancing Mentorship: Highlighting Early Career Transitions for Women in Cardiovascular Medicine and Science

A growing number of articles highlight the under-representation and inequities women experience in cardiovascular medicine, surgery, and sciences.(1,2) We previously reported on the historical context of women pursuing cardiovascular careers, with an emphasis on the need for increased mentorship, sponsorship (eg, mentor willing to advocate for your career development through the provision of opportunities), and women in leadership roles.(3) We also documented current trends in the cardiovascular sphere, which further underscore the need for sponsored mentorship and initiatives that support women at all stages of their careers.(2) These initiatives have the potential to facilitate efforts for gender parity, address gender-specific challenges, and advance the academic careers of women into leadership positions,(4) with possible implications for improving the diversity of health care teams and cardiovascular care.

Automated summary

There is a growing awareness of the under-representation and inequities women face in cardiovascular medicine, surgery, and sciences, highlighting the need for increased mentorship, sponsorship, and women in leadership roles. Initiatives supporting women at all stages of their careers have the potential to promote gender parity, address gender-specific challenges, and advance women's academic careers into leadership positions, potentially improving the diversity of healthcare teams and cardiovascular care.