Global Makeup of Cardiothoracic Surgeons as Represented by Our Major Societies and Associations

BACKGROUND Prior efforts to capture the cardiothoracic surgery community rely on survey data with potentially biased or low response rates. Our goal is to better understand our community by assessing the membership directories from The Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS), American Association for Thoracic Surgery (AATS), European Association for Cardio-Thoracic Surgery (EACTS), and Asian Society for Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery (ASCVTS). METHODS Membership data were obtained from membership directories. Data for STS and EACTS were supple-mented by the associations from their internal databases. The inclusion criterion was active membership; trainees and wholly incomplete profiles were excluded.ESULTS A total of 12 053 membership profiles were included (STS, 6365; EACTS, 3661; AATS, 1495; ASCVTS, 532). Membership is 7% female overall (EACTS, 9%; STS, 6%; AATS, 5%; ASCVTS, 3%), with a median age of 57 years (STS, 60 years; EACTS, 52 years). All societies had a broad scope of practice including members who practiced both adult cardiac and thoracic (20% overall), but most members practiced adult cardiac (31% overall; ASCVTS, 48%; AATS, 36%; EACTS, 30%; STS, 28%) and were in the late stage of their careers. CONCLUSIONS We present the makeup of our 4 major societies. We are global with a diversity of careers but con-cerning factors that require immediate attention. The future of our specialty depends on our ability to evolve, to promote the specialty, to attract trainees, and to include and promote female surgeons. It is crucial that we wake up to these issues, change the narrative, and create action on both individual and leadership levels.(Ann Thorac Surg 2023;115:1052-61)(c) 2023 by The Society of Thoracic Surgeons

Automated summary

This study examines the cardiothoracic surgery community by analyzing the membership directories of four major societies. The study reveals a low proportion of female members and a median age of 57 years. The majority of members specialize in adult cardiac surgery. The study emphasizes the need to address the concerns and take action to promote diversity and attract trainees in the field.