"Make the Implicit Explicit": Measuring Perceptions of Gender Bias and Creating a Gender Bias Curriculum for Internal Medicine Residents

Paula Chatterjee; Lindsay N Warner; Maria C Basil; Michelle Christopher; Katharine Manning; Herrick N Fisher; Kathryn M Rexrode; Sonja R Solomon; Rose M Kakoza; Maria A Yialamas

doi:10.2147/AMEP.S292166

"Make the Implicit Explicit": Measuring Perceptions of Gender Bias and Creating a Gender Bias Curriculum for Internal Medicine Residents

Adv Med Educ Pract. 2021 Jan 12:12:49-52. doi: 10.2147/AMEP.S292166. eCollection 2021.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Department of Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
² Department of Medicine, Virginia Mason Medical Center, Seattle, WA, USA.
³ Department of Medicine, Tulane University School of Medicine, New Orleans, LA, USA.
⁴ Department of Medicine, Brigham & Women's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.
⁵ Department of Primary Care and Community Medicine, Christiana Care, Wilmington, DE, USA.

Abstract

Background: Gender bias in clinical training has been well established; however, little is known about how perceptions differ between men and women. Furthermore, few curricular options have been developed to discuss gender bias.

Objective: To measure the prevalence of gender bias, examine qualitative differences between men and women, and create a gender bias curriculum for internal medicine residents.

Methods: We surveyed 114 residents (response rate of 53.5%) to identify the prevalence and types of gender bias experienced in training. We compared estimates between genders and organized qualitative results into shared themes. We then developed a curriculum to promote and normalize discussions of gender bias.

Results: Among surveyed residents, 61% reported personal experiences of gender bias during training, with 98% of women and 19% of men reporting experiences when stratified by gender. We identified two domains in which gender bias manifested: role misidentification and a difficult working environment. Residents identified action items that led to the development of a gender bias curriculum. The curriculum includes didactic conferences and training sessions, a microaggression response toolkit, dinners for men and women residents, participation in a WhatsApp support group, and participation in academic projects related to gender bias in training.

Conclusion: We confirmed a wide prevalence of gender bias and developed a scalable curriculum for gender bias training. Future work should explore the long-term impacts of these interventions.

Keywords: curriculum development; graduate medical education; survey.