Trends in Women’s Leadership of Oncology Clinical Trials
It has been widely reported that women are underrepresented in leadership positions within academic medicine. This study aimed to assess trends in women representation as principal investigators (PIs) in oncology clinical trials and to characterize trends in women’s leadership in such trials conduct...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2022-06-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Oncology |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fonc.2022.885275/full |
| _version_ | 1817969420713066496 |
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| author | Ithai Waldhorn Ayelet Dekel Anna Morozov Elisa Sardas Alon Danielle Stave Noam Ben Tsrooya Shir Schlosser Gal Markel Gal Markel David Bomze Tomer Meirson |
| author_facet | Ithai Waldhorn Ayelet Dekel Anna Morozov Elisa Sardas Alon Danielle Stave Noam Ben Tsrooya Shir Schlosser Gal Markel Gal Markel David Bomze Tomer Meirson |
| author_sort | Ithai Waldhorn |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | It has been widely reported that women are underrepresented in leadership positions within academic medicine. This study aimed to assess trends in women representation as principal investigators (PIs) in oncology clinical trials and to characterize trends in women’s leadership in such trials conducted between 1999 and 2019. The gender of 39,240 PIs leading clinical trials was determined using the gender prediction software Genderize.io. In total, 11,516 (27.7%) women served as PIs. Over the past 20 years, an annual increase of 0.65% in women PIs was observed. Analysis by geographic distribution revealed higher women representation among PIs in North America and Europe compared to Asia. Industry-funded trials were associated with lower women PI representation than academic-funded trials (31.4% vs. 18.8%, p<0.001). Also, women PIs were found to be underrepresented in late-phase as compared to early-phase studies (27.9%, 25.7%, 21.6%, and 22.4% in phase I, II, III, and IV, respectively; Cochran-Armitage test for trend, p<0.001). Furthermore, an association was found between the PI’s gender and enrolment of female subjects (50% vs. 43% female participants led by women vs men PIs, respectively, p<0.001). Taken together, while the gender gap in women’s leadership in oncology trials has been steadily closing, prominent inequalities remain in non-Western countries, advanced study phases, industry-funded trials and appear to be linked to a gender gap in patient accrual. These observations can serve for the development of strategies to increase women’s representation and to monitor progress toward gender equality in PIs of cancer clinical trials. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-13T20:21:00Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-44ef13383e4847149b4c5c2fd8bd990a |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2234-943X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-13T20:21:00Z |
| publishDate | 2022-06-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Oncology |
| spelling | doaj.art-44ef13383e4847149b4c5c2fd8bd990a2022-12-22T02:31:33ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Oncology2234-943X2022-06-011210.3389/fonc.2022.885275885275Trends in Women’s Leadership of Oncology Clinical TrialsIthai Waldhorn0Ayelet Dekel1Anna Morozov2Elisa Sardas Alon3Danielle Stave4Noam Ben Tsrooya5Shir Schlosser6Gal Markel7Gal Markel8David Bomze9Tomer Meirson10Division of Oncology, Rambam Health Care Campus, Haifa, IsraelMidaat - For Informed Health, Mevaseret Zion, IsraelDepartment of Data Science, Eyeviation, Ramat Gan, IsraelThe Israel Society for Gender and Sex Conscious Medicine, Tel Aviv, IsraelDepartment of Pediatrics, Dana Dwek Children’s Hospital, Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, Tel Aviv, IsraelOccupational Medicine Department, Clalit Health Services, Netanya, IsraelSackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, IsraelSackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, IsraelDavidoff Cancer Center, Rabin Medical Center-Beilinson Hospital, Petah Tikva, IsraelSackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, IsraelDavidoff Cancer Center, Rabin Medical Center-Beilinson Hospital, Petah Tikva, IsraelIt has been widely reported that women are underrepresented in leadership positions within academic medicine. This study aimed to assess trends in women representation as principal investigators (PIs) in oncology clinical trials and to characterize trends in women’s leadership in such trials conducted between 1999 and 2019. The gender of 39,240 PIs leading clinical trials was determined using the gender prediction software Genderize.io. In total, 11,516 (27.7%) women served as PIs. Over the past 20 years, an annual increase of 0.65% in women PIs was observed. Analysis by geographic distribution revealed higher women representation among PIs in North America and Europe compared to Asia. Industry-funded trials were associated with lower women PI representation than academic-funded trials (31.4% vs. 18.8%, p<0.001). Also, women PIs were found to be underrepresented in late-phase as compared to early-phase studies (27.9%, 25.7%, 21.6%, and 22.4% in phase I, II, III, and IV, respectively; Cochran-Armitage test for trend, p<0.001). Furthermore, an association was found between the PI’s gender and enrolment of female subjects (50% vs. 43% female participants led by women vs men PIs, respectively, p<0.001). Taken together, while the gender gap in women’s leadership in oncology trials has been steadily closing, prominent inequalities remain in non-Western countries, advanced study phases, industry-funded trials and appear to be linked to a gender gap in patient accrual. These observations can serve for the development of strategies to increase women’s representation and to monitor progress toward gender equality in PIs of cancer clinical trials.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fonc.2022.885275/fullwomen representationwomen’s leadershipgender gaponcology clinical trialsprincipal investigators |
| spellingShingle | Ithai Waldhorn Ayelet Dekel Anna Morozov Elisa Sardas Alon Danielle Stave Noam Ben Tsrooya Shir Schlosser Gal Markel Gal Markel David Bomze Tomer Meirson Trends in Women’s Leadership of Oncology Clinical Trials Frontiers in Oncology women representation women’s leadership gender gap oncology clinical trials principal investigators |
| title | Trends in Women’s Leadership of Oncology Clinical Trials |
| title_full | Trends in Women’s Leadership of Oncology Clinical Trials |
| title_fullStr | Trends in Women’s Leadership of Oncology Clinical Trials |
| title_full_unstemmed | Trends in Women’s Leadership of Oncology Clinical Trials |
| title_short | Trends in Women’s Leadership of Oncology Clinical Trials |
| title_sort | trends in women s leadership of oncology clinical trials |
| topic | women representation women’s leadership gender gap oncology clinical trials principal investigators |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fonc.2022.885275/full |
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