Characterizing Gender and Leadership Trends Among Mohs Micrographic Surgery Fellowship Directors

Abstract

BACKGROUND Fellowship directors (FDs) play a key role in shaping Mohs micrographic surgery (MMS). Studies characterizing director trends are lacking and may provide a framework for improving gender diversity. OBJECTIVE To explore characteristics of FDs and trends in gender of both fellows and FDs over time. MATERIALS AND METHODS The authors compiled a comprehensive list of FDs and fellows for all Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education–accredited Micrographic Surgery & Dermatologic Oncology programs from 1996 to 2023. Publicly available data from various internet sources from February 1, 2023 to May 30, 2023 were used to assess characteristics of MMS FDs. RESULTS The percentage of female FDs increased from 6% to 25% from 1996 to 2023. Female directors were more likely to select female fellows than male directors (p = .0002) and had fewer years between fellowship completion and FD appointment (9.1 ± 4.7 years) compared with male directors (13.6 ± 8.8 years; p = .036). H-index, program type, and academic rank were similar between male and female directors. CONCLUSION Although gender parity among MMS trainees has been achieved, discrepancies remain in the gender composition of FDs. Further studies are required to determine why women are underrepresented as FDs.