Demographic Representation Among Speakers and Program Committee Members at the IDWeek Conference, 2013-2021

Jasmine R Marcelin; Rohan Khazanchi; Elizabeth Lyden; Kelly A Cawcutt; David R Ha; Narjust Florez; Ravina Kullar; Elizabeth H Ristagno; Introduction of Speakers at IDWeek Events Observing for Unconscious Bias over Time (INSIDE-OUT) study group

doi:10.1093/cid/ciac816

Demographic Representation Among Speakers and Program Committee Members at the IDWeek Conference, 2013-2021

Clin Infect Dis. 2023 Mar 4;76(5):897-904. doi: 10.1093/cid/ciac816.

Authors

Jasmine R Marcelin¹, Rohan Khazanchi², Elizabeth Lyden³, Kelly A Cawcutt¹, David R Ha⁴, Narjust Florez⁵, Ravina Kullar⁶, Elizabeth H Ristagno⁷; Introduction of Speakers at IDWeek Events Observing for Unconscious Bias over Time (INSIDE-OUT) study group

Collaborators

Introduction of Speakers at IDWeek Events Observing for Unconscious Bias over Time (INSIDE-OUT) study group:
Nipunie Rajapakse, Megha Patel, Amy M Miller, Erin N Oeltjen, Sophie Semaj, Kyle T Sramek, Christopher J Lindeman, Eric C Daubach, Oladapo O Akinmoladun, Paul J Wurtz, Yuhong Yang

Affiliations

¹ Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, Nebraska, USA.
² Internal Medicine-Pediatrics Residency Program, Brigham & Women's Hospital/Boston Children's Hospital/Boston Medical Center and Departments of Internal Medicine and Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
³ Department of Biostatistics, College of Public Health, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, Nebraska, USA.
⁴ Division of Infectious Diseases and Geographic Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford University, Palo Alto, California, USA.
⁵ Lowe Center for Thoracic Oncology at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
⁶ Expert Stewardship, Newport Beach, California, USA.
⁷ Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, Mayo Clinic, Rochester Minnesota, USA.

PMID: 36208201
DOI: 10.1093/cid/ciac816

Abstract

Background: In 2016, the IDWeek program committee was charged with ensuring gender equity in speaker sessions. Whether this charge also resulted in more opportunities for historically underrepresented speakers is unknown.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective analysis of trends in the demographic composition of IDWeek speakers and program committee members between 2013 and 2021. We used descriptive statistics to summarize data, χ2 tests to compare speaker demographics between 2013-2016 (before 2016) and 2017-2021 (after 2016), and Cochran-Armitage tests for trend. Each speaker slot was considered an independent event.

Results: A total of 5482 speaker slots were filled by 3389 individuals from 2013 to 2021. There was a linear increase in female speakers from 38.6% in 2013 to 58.4% in 2021 (P < .001). The proportion of white speakers decreased overall from 84.9% in 2013 to 63.5% in 2021. Compared with white speakers, more slots were filled by Asian speakers after 2016 versus before 2016 (20.1% vs 14.8%, respectively; P < .001). Program committee members from 2013-2021 were >80% non-Hispanic white; <5% of committee members identified as black, American Indian, Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander, or Hispanic. More program committee slots were filled by women after 2016 than before 2016 (52.7% vs 33.9%; P = .004).

Conclusions: Intentional consideration of gender equity by the program committee was associated with equitable gender representation of invited speakers at IDWeek after 2016. Gradually, the proportions of IDWeek speakers from historically excluded racial/ethnic approached their respective proportions in the IDSA membership. White speakers remained overrepresented relative to membership proportions until 2021, and gaps in program committee racial/ethnic demographic representation highlights opportunities for continued inclusion, diversity, access, and equity at IDWeek.

Keywords: IDWeek speaker demographics; access; diversity; equity; inclusion.

MeSH terms

Committee Membership*
Demography*
Female
Humans
Retrospective Studies