Project description:Gendered and racial inequalities persist in even the most progressive of workplaces. There is increasing evidence to suggest that all aspects of employment, from hiring to performance evaluation to promotion, are affected by gender and cultural background. In higher education, bias in performance evaluation has been posited as one of the reasons why few women make it to the upper echelons of the academic hierarchy. With unprecedented access to institution-wide student survey data from a large public university in Australia, we investigated the role of conscious or unconscious bias in terms of gender and cultural background. We found potential bias against women and teachers with non-English speaking backgrounds. Our findings suggest that bias may decrease with better representation of minority groups in the university workforce. Our findings have implications for society beyond the academy, as over 40% of the Australian population now go to university, and graduates may carry these biases with them into the workforce.
Project description:Background?Gender-related disparities persist in medicine and medical education. Prior work has found differences in medical education assessments based on gender.Objective?We hypothesized that gender bias would be mitigated in a simulation-based assessment.Methods?We conducted a retrospective cohort study of emergency medicine residents at a single, urban residency program. Beginning in spring 2013, residents participated in mandatory individual simulation assessments. Twelve simulated cases were included in this study. Rating forms mapped milestone language to specific observable behaviors. A Bayesian regression was used to evaluate the effect of resident and rater gender on assessment scores. Both 95% credible intervals (CrIs) and a Region of Practical Equivalence approach were used to evaluate the results.Results?Participants included 48 faculty raters (25 men [52%]) and 102 residents (47 men [46%]). The difference in scores between male and female residents (M?=?-0.58, 95% CrI -3.31-2.11), and male and female raters (M?=?2.87, 95% CrI -0.43-6.30) was small and 95% CrIs overlapped with 0. The 95% CrI for the interaction between resident and rater gender also overlapped with 0 (M?=?0.41, 95% CrI -3.71-4.23).Conclusions?In a scripted and controlled system of assessments, there were no differences in scores due to resident or rater gender.
Project description:The higher prevalence of insomnia in women has been attributed to biological factors, which are less likely than cognitive and behavioral factors to play a role in perpetuating insomnia. Gender differences in perpetuating factors have not been extensively examined. This study compared men's and women's self-reports of factors that perpetuate insomnia; experience of symptoms, perceived severity and impact on daytime functioning; and use of strategies to manage insomnia. Data were collected at baseline, using reliable and valid measures, in a project that evaluated behavioral therapies for insomnia. The sample (N = 739) consisted of women (62.4%) and men (37.6%). Gender differences were found in: 1) perpetuating factors: men took more naps and held more unhelpful beliefs about insomnia, whereas women experienced higher pre-sleep arousal; 2) perception of insomnia severity: higher among women; 3) perceived impact of insomnia: higher fatigue among women; and 4) use of strategies (higher in women) to manage insomnia. Gender differences were of a small size but could be associated with women's stress, expression of somatic symptoms, and interest in maintaining their own health to meet multiple role demands.
Project description:ImportanceIdentifying gaps in inclusivity of Indigenous individuals is key to diversifying academic medical programs, increasing American Indian and Alaska Native representation, and improving disparate morbidity and mortality outcomes in American Indian and Alaska Native populations.ObjectiveTo examine representation of American Indian and Alaska Native individuals at different stages in the 2018-2019 academic medical training continuum and trends (2011-2020) of American Indian and Alaska Native representation in residency specialties.Design, setting, and participantsA cross-sectional, population-based analysis was conducted using self-reported race and ethnicity data on trainees from the Association of American Medical Colleges (2018), the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (2011-2018), and the US Census (2018). Data were analyzed between February 18, 2020, and March 4, 2021.ExposuresEnrolled trainees at specific stages of medical training.Main outcomes and measuresThe primary outcome was the odds of representation of American Indian and Alaska Native individuals at successive academic medical stages in 2018-2019 compared with White individuals. Secondary outcomes comprised specialty-specific proportions of American Indian and Alaska Native residents from 2011 to 2020 and medical specialty-specific proportions of American Indian and Alaska Native physicians in 2018. Fisher exact tests were performed to calculate the odds of American Indian and Alaska Native representation at successive stages of medical training. Simple linear regressions were performed to assess trends across residency specialties.ResultsThe study data contained a total of 238 974 607 White and American Indian and Alaska Native US citizens, 24 795 US medical school applicants, 11 242 US medical school acceptees, 10 822 US medical school matriculants, 10 917 US medical school graduates, 59 635 residents, 518 874 active physicians, and 113 168 US medical school faculty. American Indian and Alaska Native individuals had a 63% lower odds of applying to medical school (odds ratio [OR], 0.37; 95% CI, 0.31-0.45) and 48% lower odds of holding a full-time faculty position (OR, 0.52; 95% CI, 0.44-0.62) compared with their White counterparts, yet had 54% higher odds of working in a residency specialty deemed as a priority by the Indian Health Service (OR, 1.54; 95% CI, 1.09-2.16). Of the 33 physician specialties analyzed, family medicine (0.55%) and pain medicine (0.46%) had more than an average proportion (0.41%) of American Indian and Alaska Native physicians compared with their representation across all specialties.Conclusions and relevanceThis cross-sectional study noted 2 distinct stages in medical training with significantly lower representation of American Indian and Alaska Native compared with White individuals. An actionable framework to guide academic medical institutions on their Indigenous diversification and inclusivity efforts is proposed.
Project description:Despite the widespread inclusion of diversity-related curricula in US medical training, racial disparities in the quality of care and physician bias in medical treatment persist. The present study examined the effects of both formal and informal experiences on non-African American medical students' (N=2922) attitudes toward African Americans in a longitudinal study of 49 randomly selected US medical schools. We assessed the effects experiences related to medical training, accounting for prior experiences and attitudes. Contact with African Americans predicted positive attitudes toward African Americans relative to White people, even beyond the effects of prior attitudes. Furthermore, students who reported witnessing instructors making negative racial comments or jokes were significantly more willing to express racial bias themselves, even after accounting for the effects of contact. Examining the effects of informal experiences on racial attitudes may help develop a more effective medical training environment and reduce racial disparities in healthcare.
Project description:ObjectivesRecent research suggests that the gender of health care providers may affect their medical performance. This trial investigated (1) the effects of the gender composition of resuscitation teams on leadership behaviour of first responders and (2) the effects of a brief gender-specific instruction on leadership behaviour of female first responders.MethodsThis prospective randomised single-blinded trial, carried out between 2008 and 2016, included 364 fourth-year medical students of two Swiss universities. One hundred and eighty-two teams of two students each were confronted with a simulated cardiac arrest, occurring in the presence of a first responder while a second responder is summoned to help. The effect of gender composition was assessed by comparing all possible gender-combinations of first and second responders. The gender-specific instruction focused on the importance of leadership, gender differences in self-esteem and leadership, acknowledgement of unease while leading, professional role, and mission statement to lead was delivered orally for 10 min by a staff physician and tested by randomising female first responders to the intervention group or the control group. The primary outcome, based on ratings of video-recorded performance, was the first responders' percentage contribution to their teams' leadership statements and critical treatment decision making.ResultsFemale first responders contributed significantly less to leadership statements (53% vs. 76%; P = 0.001) and critical decisions (57% vs. 76%; P = 0.018) than male first responders. For critical treatment decisions, this effect was more pronounced (P = 0.007) when the second responder was male. The gender-specific intervention significantly increased female first responder's contribution to leadership statements (P = 0.024) and critical treatment decisions (P = 0.034).ConclusionsFemale first responders contributed less to their rescue teams' leadership and critical decision making than their male colleagues. A brief gender-specific leadership instruction was effective in improving female medical students' leadership behaviours.
Project description:IntroductionGraphical abstracts may enhance dissemination of scientific and medical research but are also prone to reductionism and bias. We conducted a systematic content analysis of the Journal of Internal Medicine (JIM) Graphical Abstract Gallery to assess for evidence of bias.Materials and methodsWe analyzed 140 graphical abstracts published by JIM between February 2019 and May 2020. Using a combination of inductive and deductive approaches, we developed a set of codes and code definitions for thematic, mixed-methods analysis.ResultsWe found that JIM graphical abstracts disproportionately emphasized male (59.5%) and light-skinned (91.3%) bodies, stigmatized large body size, and overstated genetic and behavioral causes of disease, even relative to the articles they purportedly represented. Whereas 50.7% of the graphical surface area was coded as representing genetic factors, just 0.4% represented the social environment.DiscussionOur analysis suggests evidence of bias and reductionism promoting normative white male bodies, linking large bodies with disease and death, conflating race with genetics, and overrepresenting genes while underrepresenting the environment as a driver of health and illness. These findings suggest that uncritical use of graphical abstracts may distort rather than enhance our understanding of disease; harm patients who are minoritized by race, gender, or body size; and direct attention away from dismantling the structural barriers to health equity.ConclusionWe recommend that journals develop standards for mitigating bias in the publication of graphical abstracts that (1) ensure diverse skin tone and gender representation, (2) mitigate weight bias, (3) avoid racial or ethnic essentialism, and (4) attend to sociostructural contributors to disease.
Project description:ObjectiveEmergency medical services (EMS) professionals infrequently transport children leading to difficulty in recognition and management of pediatric critical illness. Simulation provides an opportunity to train EMS professionals on pediatric emergencies. The objective of this study was to examine the effect of serial simulation training over 6 months on EMS psychomotor and cognitive performance during team-based care.MethodsThis was a longitudinal prospective study of a simulation curriculum enrolling EMS professionals over a 6-month period during which they performed three high-fidelity simulations at 3-month intervals. The simulation scenarios included a 15-month-old seizure (T0), 1-month-old with hypoglycemia (T1), and 4-year-old clonidine ingestion (T2). All scenarios were standardized and required recognition and management of respiratory failure and decompensated shock. Scenarios were videotaped and two investigators scored EMS team interventions during simulations using a standardized scoring tool. Inter-rater reliability was assessed on 30% of videos using kappa analysis. Volumes of administered intravenous fluid (IVF) and medications were measured to assess for errors in administration. The primary outcome was the change in scenario score from T0 to T2.ResultsA total of 135 team-based simulations were conducted over the study period (48, 40, and 47 at T0, T1, and T2, respectively). Inter-rater reliability between reviewers was very good (κ = 0.7). Median simulation score improved from T0 to T2 (24 vs 31, p < 0.001, maximum score possible = 42). The proportion of completed tasks increased across multiple categories including improved recognition of respiratory decompensation (19% vs. 56%), management of the pediatric airway (44% vs. 88%), and timeliness of vascular access (10% vs. 38%). Correct IVF administration varied by scenario (25% vs. 52% vs. 30%, p = 0.02).ConclusionSerial simulation improved EMS team-based care in both recognition and management of pediatric emergencies. A standardized pediatric simulation curriculum can be used to train EMS professionals on pediatric emergencies and improve performance.
Project description:Gender bias and the role of sex hormones in autoimmune diseases are well established. In specific-pathogen free (SPF) non-obese diabetic (NOD) mice females have 1.3-4.4 times higher incidence of Type 1 diabetes (T1D). Germ-free (GF) mice lose the gender bias (female/male ratio 1.1-1.2). Gut microbiota differed in males and females, a trend reversed by male castration, confirming that androgens influence gut microbiota. Colonization of GF NOD mice with defined microbiota revealed that some but not all lineages overrepresented in male mice supported a gender bias in T1D, and protection did not correlate with androgen levels. However, hormone-supported selective microbial lineage variation may work as a positive feedback mechanism contributing to the sexual dimorphism of autoimmune diseases. Gene expression analysis suggested pathways involved in protection of males from T1D by microbiota.
Project description:This article discusses possible search engine page rank biases as a consequence of search engine profile information. After describing search engine biases, their causes, and their ethical implications, we present data about the Google search engine (GSE) and DuckDuckGo (DDG) for which only the first uses profile data for the production of page ranks. We analyze 408 search engine screen prints of 102 volunteers (53 male and 49 female) on queries for job search and political participation. For job searches via GSE, we find a bias toward stereotypically "female" jobs for women but also for men, although the bias is significantly stronger for women. For political participation, the bias of GSE is toward more powerful positions. Contrary to our hypothesis, this bias is even stronger for women than for men. Our analysis of DDG does not give statistically significant page rank differences for male and female users. We, therefore, conclude that GSE's personal profiling is not reinforcing a gender stereotype. Although no gender differences in page ranks was found for DDG, DDG usage in general gave a bias toward "male-dominant" vacancies for both men and women. We, therefore, believe that search engine page ranks are not biased by profile ranking algorithms, but that page rank biases may be caused by many other factors in the search engine's value chain. We propose ten search engine bias factors with virtue ethical implications for further research.