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Challenges to Professional Success for Women Plastic Surgeons: An International Survey

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Abstract

Background

Female plastic surgeons face specific challenges in their careers that impact lifestyle and professional choices.

Objective

The authors sought to delineate these specific issues further through means of an anonymous survey and to suggest areas for improvement.

Methods

In August 2017, a link to an online email questionnaire via SurveyMonkey.com was sent to 398 women members of the International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, which included questions on demographics, surgical training, practice characteristics and preferences, leadership and professional activities, marriage and childcare, financial status, workplace sexism and sexual harassment and surgeon attitudes.

Results

A total of 138 female plastic surgeons responded to the survey for a response rate of 34.7%. Critical issues most cited by respondents included work-life balance and childcare responsibilities, sexual harassment and the lack of gender parity at meetings.

Conclusions

Plastic surgery training programs, institutions and societies should acknowledge the additional challenges that female surgeons face. The greatest areas for improvement include the balance of work and family responsibilities, addressing the prevalence of sexual harassment and improved representation at scientific meetings.

Level of Evidence IV

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Acknowledgments

The authors are grateful to Catherine Foss, Executive Director of the International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (ISAPS) from 1998 to 2020, for her unwavering support and encouragement of women plastic surgeons everywhere.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Private practice, 1021 Park Avenue, New York, NY, 10028, USA

    Nina S. Naidu

  2. Assistant Clinical Professor of Surgery, Weill Cornell Medical Center, New York, NY, 10065, USA

    Nina S. Naidu

  3. Westchester Institute for Human Development, Valhalla, NY, 10595, USA

    Patricia A. Patrick

  4. School of Health Sciences & Practice, New York Medical College, Valhalla, NY, 10595, USA

    Patricia A. Patrick

  5. Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell, New York, NY, USA

    Dana Bregman

  6. Private practice, 011817, Bucharest, Romania

    Dana Jianu

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  1. Nina S. Naidu
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  4. Dana Jianu
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Contributions

This paper is dedicated to the memory of Violeta Skorobac-Asanin, MD PhD (1970-2020).

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Nina S. Naidu.

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Conflict of interest

Dr. Naidu is a shareholder of Ideal Implant, Incorporated and a consultant for Establishment Labs. The other authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest to disclose.

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This article does not contain any studies with human participants or animals performed by any of the authors.

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Naidu, N.S., Patrick, P.A., Bregman, D. et al. Challenges to Professional Success for Women Plastic Surgeons: An International Survey. Aesth Plast Surg 45, 2464–2472 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00266-021-02171-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00266-021-02171-0

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