- Email: [email protected]
The Garden of Eve in Interventional Radiology: The Importance of Mentorship
THE RESIDENTS’ AND FELLOWS’ COLUMN
The Garden of Eve in Interventional Radiology: The Importance of Mentorship Martha-Gracia Knuttinen, MD, PhD Fall 2006 marked the 25th anniversary of the founding of the American Association of Women Radiologists. This association has been extremely instrumental in promoting the careers of women in the field of radiology. A recent report in JAMA looked at the impact that mentoring had on individuals in academic medicine, with results showing that women perceived that they had more difficulty finding mentors than their male colleagues [1]. Furthermore, a recent study in the New England Journal of Medicine looked at the rise of physician-authors among female physicians [2]. Although they are making small inroads, they are still not as well represented in the surgical fields, particularly in the fields of vascular and interventional radiology (IR). The majority of women in the field of radiology (⬎65%) are represented in mammography, pediatric radiology, and sonography, with very few women (8%) representing the specialty of IR [3]. I come from a background of academic research in the neurosciences, but when it came time to apply for a fellowship, one attending interventional radiologist told me something that clearly has stuck with me to this day: “Do what you love the best, because in the end, waking up to go to work should be something to look forward to.” I also happened to have a female mentor who continues to be my friend and a leader. I re-
member that the “gossip” was out at my institution that we were to have a female IR fellow in my third year as a resident. This was something my program had not had for some time. While I was a resident, I requested to do my IR rotation while she was there, and I thought to myself, if she could do it and find a niche with the men in the field, perhaps I could do it as well. I had a great time with her, and she is a phenomenal teacher. I still follow her footsteps as she continues her academic career in IR and continues to do inspiring cases while delivering her first baby this winter. And this is how I chose IR as my field of specialty: I had great mentorship. I enjoy the interaction I have with my patients and the skill development that is required. It is a challenge I enjoy every day. And with the current trend of IR becoming more clinically oriented and the continuing uprising of interventional outpatient clinics, many more women should consider this field. But I also find myself in the very unique position this year of having another colleague of mine, also an interventional fellow, be a woman. Two of us in one IR fellowship at the same institution! So besides all the sports and home repair talk that takes place at our institution, the talk sometimes turns to shoes and who might win the Oscars. It adds a whole new dimension to the department. Many patients have also told us
© 2007 American College of Radiology 0091-2182/07/$32.00 ● DOI 10.1016/j.jacr.2007.03.010
that it’s nice to have a female interventionalist. They call it the female touch. I happen to agree. So with this as background, I hope to reach out to all those women who wonder whether they can survive in the field of IR, particularly with relatively few mentors. My section chief counted on a single hand how many female first authors have written scientific papers in the interventional literature. This inspired a colleague and me to submit an abstract for the fall meeting of the Cardiovascular and Interventional Radiological Society of Europe on that topic. We sought to examine the trend of female physician-investigators among the authors of publications in the Journal of Vascular and Interventional Radiology during the past 10 years. Although women represent a minority in the field of IR, during the past 10 years they have made minor advancements in authorship of academic medical literature in that particular journal. I was lucky to have a great female mentor guide me with my career choice. Had it not been for her, I might have succumbed to those voices that told me that IR is not a field for women. Mentors don’t run around with signs on their heads identifying them as mentors. The best ones are those who realize their potential impact on those who ask for advice. So to all those women out there in radiology residencies, if doing proce-
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502 The Residents’ and Fellows’ Column
dures and getting involved in patient care is what you love, don’t be afraid to take a step forward in the old boys’ network. Interventional radiology is a great and rewarding career choice.
REFERENCES 1. Sambunjak D, Straus S, Marusic A. Mentoring in academic medicine: a systematic review. JAMA 2006;296:1103-15. 2. Jagsi R, Guancial E, Worobey C, et al. The “gender gap” in authorship of academic med-
ical literature—a 35 year perspective. N Engl J Med 2006;355:281-7. 3. Owen J, Chan W, Sunshine J, Shaffer K. The sex ratio of American radiologists: comparison and implications by age, subspecialty, and type of practice. AJR Am J Roentgenol 1995; 165:1337-41.
Martha-Gracia Knuttinen, MD, PhD, University of Chicago, Department of Interventional Radiology, 5841 S. Maryland Ave, Chicago, IL 60637; e-mail: [email protected].
The Garden of Eve in Interventional Radiology: The Importance of Mentorship Martha-Gracia Knuttinen, MD, PhD Fall 2006 marked the 25th anniversary of the founding of the American Association of Women Radiologists. This association has been extremely instrumental in promoting the careers of women in the field of radiology. A recent report in JAMA looked at the impact that mentoring had on individuals in academic medicine, with results showing that women perceived that they had more difficulty finding mentors than their male colleagues [1]. Furthermore, a recent study in the New England Journal of Medicine looked at the rise of physician-authors among female physicians [2]. Although they are making small inroads, they are still not as well represented in the surgical fields, particularly in the fields of vascular and interventional radiology (IR). The majority of women in the field of radiology (⬎65%) are represented in mammography, pediatric radiology, and sonography, with very few women (8%) representing the specialty of IR [3]. I come from a background of academic research in the neurosciences, but when it came time to apply for a fellowship, one attending interventional radiologist told me something that clearly has stuck with me to this day: “Do what you love the best, because in the end, waking up to go to work should be something to look forward to.” I also happened to have a female mentor who continues to be my friend and a leader. I re-
member that the “gossip” was out at my institution that we were to have a female IR fellow in my third year as a resident. This was something my program had not had for some time. While I was a resident, I requested to do my IR rotation while she was there, and I thought to myself, if she could do it and find a niche with the men in the field, perhaps I could do it as well. I had a great time with her, and she is a phenomenal teacher. I still follow her footsteps as she continues her academic career in IR and continues to do inspiring cases while delivering her first baby this winter. And this is how I chose IR as my field of specialty: I had great mentorship. I enjoy the interaction I have with my patients and the skill development that is required. It is a challenge I enjoy every day. And with the current trend of IR becoming more clinically oriented and the continuing uprising of interventional outpatient clinics, many more women should consider this field. But I also find myself in the very unique position this year of having another colleague of mine, also an interventional fellow, be a woman. Two of us in one IR fellowship at the same institution! So besides all the sports and home repair talk that takes place at our institution, the talk sometimes turns to shoes and who might win the Oscars. It adds a whole new dimension to the department. Many patients have also told us
© 2007 American College of Radiology 0091-2182/07/$32.00 ● DOI 10.1016/j.jacr.2007.03.010
that it’s nice to have a female interventionalist. They call it the female touch. I happen to agree. So with this as background, I hope to reach out to all those women who wonder whether they can survive in the field of IR, particularly with relatively few mentors. My section chief counted on a single hand how many female first authors have written scientific papers in the interventional literature. This inspired a colleague and me to submit an abstract for the fall meeting of the Cardiovascular and Interventional Radiological Society of Europe on that topic. We sought to examine the trend of female physician-investigators among the authors of publications in the Journal of Vascular and Interventional Radiology during the past 10 years. Although women represent a minority in the field of IR, during the past 10 years they have made minor advancements in authorship of academic medical literature in that particular journal. I was lucky to have a great female mentor guide me with my career choice. Had it not been for her, I might have succumbed to those voices that told me that IR is not a field for women. Mentors don’t run around with signs on their heads identifying them as mentors. The best ones are those who realize their potential impact on those who ask for advice. So to all those women out there in radiology residencies, if doing proce-
501
502 The Residents’ and Fellows’ Column
dures and getting involved in patient care is what you love, don’t be afraid to take a step forward in the old boys’ network. Interventional radiology is a great and rewarding career choice.
REFERENCES 1. Sambunjak D, Straus S, Marusic A. Mentoring in academic medicine: a systematic review. JAMA 2006;296:1103-15. 2. Jagsi R, Guancial E, Worobey C, et al. The “gender gap” in authorship of academic med-
ical literature—a 35 year perspective. N Engl J Med 2006;355:281-7. 3. Owen J, Chan W, Sunshine J, Shaffer K. The sex ratio of American radiologists: comparison and implications by age, subspecialty, and type of practice. AJR Am J Roentgenol 1995; 165:1337-41.
Martha-Gracia Knuttinen, MD, PhD, University of Chicago, Department of Interventional Radiology, 5841 S. Maryland Ave, Chicago, IL 60637; e-mail: [email protected].