Women mentoring women

The year 2017 was monumental for women in medicine. For the first time in history, women comprised more than 50% of medical school matriculates and 41% of general surgery residents.1 Women also made enormous strides in national surgical leadership. Dr Leigh Neumayer became the first female chair of the American College of Surgeons Board of Regents and Dr Diane Farmer became the first fe-male chair of the American College of Surgeons Board of Governors.2 Until 1970, women made up only 6% of any medical school class and 2% of all surgical residents in the United States.3 Currently, 24 women are chairs of de-partments of surgery at academic institutions across the United States (https://www.womensurgeons.org/page/ FemaleSurgeryChairs), including Cardiothoracic surgeon, Dr Christine Lau.2 Although the gender gap is narrowing, this is not true across all surgical subspecialties. The field of cardiothoracic surgery remains male-dominated, with only 20% of cardiothoracic surgery resi-dents and 5% of American Board of Thoracic Surgery (ABTS)-boarded surgeons being female in 2017.4 The rea-sons for this are multifactorial and deeply rooted within the gender inequities that still exist. Most recently, The Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) Workforce on Diversity and In-clusion published a framework to address diversity and in-clusion within cardiothoracic surgery. It outlines that efforts will require a series of concentric spheres of influence from the global environment to the cardiothoracic community, institution, and the individual surgeon.5 Our goal is to touch on just 1 component that we believe can make a tremendous difference in supporting women's success in cardiothoracic surgery careers. This article highlights the history of women in cardiothoracic surgery and the current and future roles of mentorship, sponsorship, and promotion.

Automated summary

The year 2017 marked a significant milestone for women in medicine, with more than 50% of medical school matriculates and 41% of general surgery residents being women. However, the field of cardiothoracic surgery remains predominantly male, with only 20% of residents and 5% of certified surgeons being female.