Gender and the Receipt of the Association of Residents in Radiation Oncology Educator of the Year Award

Karishma Khullar; Rebecca A Deek; Bailey Nelson; Dakim Gaines; Kelsey L Corrigan; Michael C LeCompte; Curtiland Deville Jr; Matthew P Deek; Salma K Jabbour

doi:10.1016/j.adro.2023.101305

Gender and the Receipt of the Association of Residents in Radiation Oncology Educator of the Year Award

Adv Radiat Oncol. 2023 Oct 1;9(1):101305. doi: 10.1016/j.adro.2023.101305. eCollection 2024 Jan.

Authors

Karishma Khullar¹, Rebecca A Deek², Bailey Nelson³, Dakim Gaines⁴, Kelsey L Corrigan⁵, Michael C LeCompte⁶, Curtiland Deville Jr⁶, Matthew P Deek⁷, Salma K Jabbour⁷

Affiliations

¹ Department of Radiation Oncology, Perelman Center for Advanced Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
² Department of Biostatistics, Epidemiology and Informatics, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
³ Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio.
⁴ Department of Radiation Oncology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee.
⁵ Department of Radiation Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas.
⁶ Department of Radiation Oncology and Molecular Radiation Sciences, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland.
⁷ Department of Radiation Oncology, Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey.

Abstract

Purpose: We hypothesized that there may be a gender disparity in the receipt of the Association of Residents in Radiation Oncology (ARRO) Educator of the Year Award and sought to elucidate factors that contribute to differences in award receipt.

Methods and materials: Using a database provided by the American Society for Radiation Oncology, award recipients were identified from 2010 to 2022. Publicly available websites were accessed to obtain data regarding gender, years since residency graduation, percentage of female faculty, size of residency program, and program director designation. A 1-sample Z-test was used to assess whether the proportion of female ARRO award winners, defined as the proportion of female radiation oncology faculty members in the nominating universities that year, was significantly less than the population average. Secondary analyses used univariable binary logistic regression to identify global associations between gender, year since gradation, or program size.

Results: The lowest proportion of female awardees occurred in 2013 (14.3%) and the greatest proportion in 2022 (30.6%). Compared with the proportion of female faculty members in nominating programs for the respective year, there were significantly fewer female awardees in 2010 (18% female awardees vs 32% female faculty members; P = .02) and 2013 (14% female awardees vs 31% female faculty members; P = .01). There was a statistically significant increase in female awardees during the study period (P < .01). On logistic regression analysis, large program size (≥10 residents) (odds ratio [OR], 6.86; 95% CI, 2.71-23.1; P < .001) and medium program size (5-9 residents) (OR, 4.05; 95% CI, 1.60-13.7; P < .001) were associated with a greater proportion of female awardees compared with small program size (1-4 residents). There was no association between awardee gender and years since graduation.

Conclusions: A gender disparity was present in the receipt of ARRO Educator Awards. Residency chiefs, program directors, and chairs should work to ensure that a diverse slate of faculty is considered annually for the ARRO Educator Award.