Session: Medical Education 1: Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
255 - Perceptions of Pediatric Hospital Medicine Division Leaders on Gender Equity
Friday, April 24, 2026
5:30pm - 8:00pm ET
Publication Number: 1241.255
Lynn McDaniel, University of Virginia School of Medicine, Charlottesville, VA, United States; Juliann L. Kim, Stanford University School of Medicine, Los Altos, CA, United States; Jiafeng Li, Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago, Chicago, IL, United States; Patricia Tran, University of Illinois College of Medicine Peoria, Peoria, IL, United States; Heather McKnight, University of California Davis Children's Hospital, Sacramento, CA, United States; Eleanor Sharp, UPMC Childrens Hospital of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, United States; Lauren Maskin, Children's Hospital & Medical Center, Omaha, NE, United States; Hannah Sharpe, Northwestern University The Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, United States; Kerri Machut, Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago, Chicago, IL, United States; Marieke K. Jones, University of Virginia School of Medicine, Charlottesville, VA, United States; Harleena Kendhari, University of Illinois College of Medicine Peoria, Peoria, IL, United States
Associate Professor, Pediatrics University of Virginia School of Medicine Charlottesville, Virginia, United States
Background: Pediatric subspecialties are predominantly composed of women physicians, with pediatric hospital medicine (PHM) being nearly 70% female. Despite well-documented gender disparities in compensation, academic productivity, leadership, and career advancement, there is limited data on how division and institutional leaders perceive gender equity within their organizations. Objective: To compare the perspectives of division directors in PHM regarding the state of gender equity. Design/Methods: In 2025, we distributed a cross-sectional, anonymous REDCap survey via email to 236 PHM division directors across the U.S., identified through the AAP Section on Hospital Medicine and the research team’s professional network. The survey, developed with a methodologist, included items on division and director demographics, promotion, leadership, benefits, and gender-related experiences, adapted from prior pediatric equity assessments.1 Responses were de-identified and analyzed using R and Excel. Results: Response rate was 50.8% (n=120). Most respondents were from university-based or university-affiliated programs; 22% were from non-university settings. Among division leaders, 70% were female, most held PHM sub-board certification, and had an average of 15 years in practice. Leaders reported that 70% of their faculty were women. No gender differences were reported across all academic ranks, in promotion timelines or leadership roles. In centers that reported awarding internal recognition, approximately two-thirds of awards were given to male hospitalists The majority of programs did not analyze compensation by gender. Over half cited limited bandwidth, staffing, and resources as barriers to advancing gender equity. While most divisions had a women in medicine affinity group and supported remote work, however few offered tangible supports to offset disruptions in academic productivity.
Conclusion(s): Given PHM’s high proportion of women, the specialty is particularly well-poised to model equity initiatives and institutional change. Our findings suggest improved leadership representation compared to previous assessments, yet considerable work remains. Of particular concern is the lack of compensation transparency—most programs do not systematically examine pay by gender. For real progress, institutions must move beyond representation to constructing active infrastructure: gender-stratified audits of compensation and promotion, structured support systems for academic productivity interruptions (including caregiving), and leadership accountability for equity outcomes.
