Articles in medical journals authored by females receive fewer citations compared to those penned by males.
In a groundbreaking study published in JAMA Network Open, researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine and the Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics at the University of Pennsylvania have shed light on a concerning gender disparity in the field of academic medicine.
The study, led by Paula Chatterjee, MD, MPH, an assistant professor of General Internal Medicine at Penn Medicine, and Rachel Werner, MD, PhD, Executive Director of the Leonard Davis Institute for Health Economics, found that between 2015 and 2018, 35.6% of articles published in five leading academic medical journals had a female primary author. However, the number of citations these articles received was significantly lower compared to those authored by men.
Articles authored by men as both primary and senior author were cited the most, with a median of 59 times. This trend extended to articles with female senior authors, which were cited a median of 37 times, while articles by male counterparts received a median of 51 citations. Interestingly, articles with women as primary authors were referenced in other academic articles a median of 36 times, compared to 54 citations for articles with male primary authors. Original articles with women as both primary and senior authors were cited the fewest times, with a median of 33 citations.
The study suggests that this disparity in citations could widen the gap between female and male academics in terms of academic recognition, influence, and promotions. It also highlights the need for greater efforts to address and rectify this issue in the academic community.
Penn Medicine, a leading healthcare provider, is a part of this academic community. Based in Philadelphia, Penn Medicine includes six patient care facilities: Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Penn Presbyterian Medical Center, Chester County Hospital, Lancaster General Health, Penn Medicine Princeton Health, and Pennsylvania Hospital, which was founded in 1751, the nation's first hospital. Penn Medicine's patient care facilities also include Good Shepherd Penn Partners, Penn Medicine at Home, Lancaster Behavioral Health Hospital, and Princeton House Behavioral Health, among others. The organisation has alliances with top community health systems across Southeastern Pennsylvania and Southern New Jersey.
Penn Medicine is powered by a workforce of over 44,000 people and provides more than $563 million to benefit the community in fiscal year 2020. Two of its facilities, Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania and Penn Presbyterian Medical Center, are recognized as one of the nation's top "Honor Roll" hospitals by U.S. News & World Report.
The DOI for the study is 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2021.14509. For further information on the most common leading and scientifically leading female researchers in top academic medical journals from 2015 to 2018 and the citation impact of their work compared to male colleagues, additional research may be required.
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