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Sponsorship describes a set of actions wherein an influential champion (sponsor) uses their position to actively support a colleague's career by helping them gain visibility, recognition, and/or positions. There is growing awareness of the importance of sponsorship for career advancement in academic medicine, particularly for women and those who are historically underrepresented and excluded in medicine (UIM). This scoping review examines the current landscape of evidence, and knowledge gaps, on sponsorship as it relates to career advancement in academic medicine for women and UIM faculty. We searched peer-reviewed literature in PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science (WoS) over the past 50 years (from 1973 through July 2023). Sixteen studies were included in the final review. We found relative consensus on sponsorship definition and value to career advancement. Heterogeneity in study design limited our ability to directly compare study outcomes. All included studies focused on gender differences in sponsorship: two of four quantitative studies found men were more likely to receive sponsorship, one reported no gender differences, and one was insufficiently powered. All but one of the qualitative studies reported gender differences, with women less likely to access or be identified for sponsorship. The mixed-methods studies suggested sponsorship may vary by career stage. Only two studies analyzed sponsorship for UIM populations. The existing data are inconclusive regarding best ways to measure and assess sponsorship, what institutional support (e.g., structured programs, formal recognition, or incentives for sponsorship) should look like, and at what career stage sponsorship is most important. Addressing this knowledge gap will be critically important for understanding what sponsorship best practices, if any, should be used to promote equity in career advancement in academic medicine. We advocate for commitment at the institutional and national levels to develop new infrastructure for transparently and equitably supporting women and UIM in career advancement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

"Enchanted Revolution: Ghosts, Shamans, and Gender Politics in Chinese Communist Propaganda, 1942–1953" by Xiaofei Kang explores the relationship between politics and religion in China during the later years of the CCP's Yan'an period. The book examines the Party's suppression of shaman healers, promotion of medical science, and its use of narrative, performance, and static exhibitions to communicate cultural policy. Gender and the "mass line" are consistent themes throughout the book, culminating in the analysis of "The White-Haired Girl," a revolutionary play that played a significant role in the regime's theories and techniques of cultural governance. The book provides insights into the intersections of religion, politics, and gender during this period in Chinese history. [Extracted from the article]

The article titled "Enchanted Revolution: Ghosts, Shamans, and Gender Politics in Chinese Communist Propaganda, 1942–1953" explores the role of gender, religion, and revolution in Chinese Communist Party propaganda during the Yan'an period. The author argues that the CCP incorporated elements of folk religion into their mass-line politics, using traditional cultural forms to appeal to a wider audience. The article also discusses the anti-shaman campaign and its connection to public health initiatives. Overall, the book offers a unique perspective on the intersection of gender, religion, and politics in Chinese Communist propaganda. [Extracted from the article]

Introduction: Despite progress of women in science and medicine, women remain underrepresented in academic publication. The aim of this study was to evaluate potential gender differences in women authorship in the Journal of Medical Imaging and Radiation Oncology (JMIRO). Methods: Gender of the first and senior author of all articles published in JMIRO between 2012 and 2021 were examined. Changes over time and differences among groups were compared using the chi‐square test. Results: In total, 1,138 articles were assessed. Women were first and senior authors on 34% and 25% of all articles respectively. The proportion of women as first author was 30%, 41% and 36% for medical imaging (MI), radiation oncology (RO) and combined MI/RO articles respectively. Similarly, the proportion of women as senior author was lower than men at 22%, 32% and 23% for MI, RO and MI/RO articles respectively. Women first authorship over the study period remained stable from 2014 (36%) to 2020 (38%); however, it decreased dramatically in 2021 to 28%. There was a trend of increasing women senior authorship from 2013 (15%) to 2017 (35%) but decreased to 23% in 2021. Conclusion: Over the past 10 years of publications, one in three first authors were women and only one in four senior authors were women. The acknowledgement of this imbalance is the first step to pave the way towards addressing underlying systemic issues related to academic publication and disparities in gender and other inequities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

"Enchanted Revolution: Ghosts, Shamans, and Gender Politics in Chinese Communist Propaganda, 1942–1953" by Xiaofei Kang explores the Chinese Communist revolution of the 1940s and early 1950s through the lens of gender and religion, focusing on the media of art and literature. The book argues that the Communist revolution was not a move towards secular modernity, but rather an "enchanted" one. It examines the campaign against shamans, the use of ghosts and spirits in revolutionary art and literature, and the lasting political significance of the play "The White-Haired Girl." The book provides a nuanced understanding of twentieth-century China and Chinese Communism. [Extracted from the article]

"Enchanted Revolution: Ghosts, Shamans, and Gender Politics in Chinese Communist Propaganda, 1942–1953" by Xiaofei Kang explores the propaganda culture of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) during the Yan'an period. The book focuses on the Party's anti-superstition campaign, which used popular religion and gendered symbolism to build socialism. It examines the anti-shaman campaign, Communist literature of ghosts and demons, and the opera "The White-Haired Girl" as examples of this propaganda strategy. The book also highlights the Party's use of religion and gender as battlegrounds for its revolutionary goals. While the book provides valuable insights, some historical context and comparisons are questioned. Overall, it contributes to a deeper understanding of the propaganda culture during this period. [Extracted from the article]

Less than half of medical school professorships and decanal ranks are held by women. Our study investigates the gender-based geographical distribution and differences in lifetime peer-reviewed publications, H-index, and grant funding by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) of all allopathic medical school deans in the United States (US). A cross-sectional cohort study utilizing data from US allopathic medical school websites, PubMed, and the NIH Research Portfolio Online Reporting Tools regarding lifetime peer-reviewed publications and quantity/monetary sum of NIH grants received by medical school deans. Descriptive statistics, independent sample T-tests, and ANOVA were performed with statistical significance defined as P < 0.05. Women occupied 33/157 (21.0%) dean positions overall. Compared to women, men possess higher mean number of lifetime peer-reviewed publications (112.0 vs. 55.2, P = 0.001) and H-index (43.2 vs. 25.7, P = 0.001); however, there are no differences in the mean number of NIH grants (27.5 vs. 19.1, P = 0.323) nor mean total NIH funding received ($18,931,336 vs. $14,289,529, P = 0.524). While significant differences in mean H-index between all US regions were found (P = 0.002), no significant differences exist between major US regions regarding the mean lifetime publication count (P = 0.223), NIH grants received (P = 0.200), nor total NIH funding (P = 0.824) received. A significant discrepancy in the gender distribution, lifetime peer-reviewed publications, and H-index of allopathic medical school deans exists across the US, highlighting the need for adequate support for women in academic medicine. Greater implementation of mentorship, increased institutional support, and diversity training can improve the representation of women in medical school decanal positions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Exquisitely written in a multivocal ethnographic voice endeavoring to exalt the perspective of her babaylan subject-informants rather than her own, the author aims to make sense of the proliferating discourses around the babaylan and parses out the silencing dynamic that she argues lurks unwittingly even in the most "woke" of its discursive articulations (e.g., feminist, anticolonial). Persecuted as agents of evil and superstition or valorized as symbols of woman power, gender pluralism, and land-based anticolonial resistance, these Native ritual specialists and their oral discourses have not had many opportunities to publicly contest hegemonic constructions about them. In the US and Canada, spearheading the movement for indigenization is a nonprofit organization that calls itself Center for Babaylan Studies (CfBS), the term "babaylan" referring to the spiritual healing (shamanic) tradition found (and variously called by different names) among the Philippines' diverse Indigenous communities. [Extracted from the article]

Background: Since 2017, women have made up over 50% of medical school matriculants; however, only 16% of department chairs are women-a number that has remained stagnant and demonstrates the underrepresentation of women in leadership positions in medicine.Objective: To better understand the challenges women face in leadership positions and to inform how best to advance women leaders in Hospital Medicine.Design, Setting, and Participants: Using hermeneutical phenomenological methods, we performed semi-structured qualitative interviews of ten female division heads from hospital medicine groups in the USA, transcribed verbatim, and coded for thematic saturation using Atlas.ti software.Measurements: Qualitative themes and subthemes.Key Results: Ten women hospitalist leaders were interviewed from September through November 2019. Participants identified four key challenges in their leadership journeys: lack of support to pursue leadership training, bullying, a sense of sacrifice in order to achieve balance, and the need for internal and external validation. Participants also suggested key interventions in order to support women leaders in the future: recommending a platform to share experiences, combat bullying, advocate for themselves, and bolster each other in sponsorship and mentorship roles. Finally, participants identified how they have unique strengths as women in leadership, and are transforming the culture of medicine with a focus on diversity and flexibility.Conclusion: Women in leadership positions face unique challenges, but also have a unique perspective as to how to support the next generation of leaders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Gender disparities exist in the careers of women in medicine. This review explores the qualitative literature to understand how gender influences professional trajectories, and identify opportunities for intervention. Methods: A systematic review and thematic synthesis included articles obtained from PubMed, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (Ovid), EMBASE (Ovid), APA PsycInfo (Ovid), and GenderWatch (ProQuest) on June 26 2020, updated on September 10, 2020. Included studies explored specialty choice, leadership roles, practice setting, burnout, promotion, stigma, mentoring, and organizational culture. Studies taking place outside of the USA, using only quantitative data, conducted prior to 2000, or focused on other health professions were excluded. Data were extracted using a standardized extraction tool and assessed for rigor and quality using a 9-item appraisal tool. A three-step process for thematic synthesis was used to generate analytic themes and construct a conceptual model. The study is registered with PROSPERO (CRD42020199999). Findings: Among 1524 studies identified, 64 were eligible for analysis. Five themes contributed to a conceptual model for the influence of gender on women's careers in medicine that resembles a developmental socio-ecological model. Gender influences career development externally through culture which valorizes masculine stereotypes and internally shapes women's integration of personal and professional values. Conclusion: Medical culture and structures are implicitly biased against women. Equitable environments in education, mentoring, hiring, promotion, compensation, and support for work-life integration are needed to address gender disparities in medicine. Explicit efforts to create inclusive institutional cultures and policies are essential to support a diverse workforce. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The first doctor who led the tuberculosis eradication work of SCVT was Professor Dr B. J. van der Plaats, a radiologist. Number 1-7 staff of department: 1, Dr Hana Faisal, PhD; 2, Dr Fathiyah Isbaniah, PhD; 3, Professor Ratnawati, PhD; 4, Dr Sita Andarini, PhD as Program Director; 5, Professor Elisna Syahruddin, PhD; 6, Dr Erlina Burhan, PhD; 7, Dr Tina Reisa gl Some examples of leading women respiratory doctors in Indonesia include: Dr Erlina Burhan, who was recognized among 2020's five most influential national figures by Republika, the largest newspaper group in Indonesia. Dr Dianiati Sutoyo, Dr Helmia Hassan, Dr Susanty Djajalaksana, Dr Triya Damayanti and myself are involved in curriculum development for residents and teaching in basic respiratory immunology, oncology and interstitial lung disease all over Indonesia. [Extracted from the article]

This article describes the life and medical activities of Jadwiga Olszewska (1855-1932) in Serbia from 1895-1899, Austro- Hungarian (AH)-occupied and annexed Bosnia and Herzegovina (BH) from 1899-1918, and the newly founded Kingdom of Yugoslavia, from 1919-1932. In summer 1899, Olszewska replaced Teodora Krajewska as an AH official female physician in Tuzla. Born in Congress Poland, Olszewska had enrolled in 1873 in the medical courses for women in St. Petersburg but had left Russia in 1880 to study medicine in France. She had lived as a student and single parent in Paris since 1883, and she was awarded her Doctorate in Medicine from the University of Paris in 1894. She could not practice medicine in Russian-occupied Poland because of her French diploma, and she could not practice in most Western countries due to her gender. Therefore, she decided to move to Serbia, where she worked as an assistant physician in the district hospitals of Loznica (1895-1897?) and Požarevac (1897-1899). Driven by the need for a higher income to fund her son's education, she engaged her network of Polish compatriots and procured the position of an AH official female physician of Tuzla in 1899, where she performed her duties in an exemplary manner. After the breakdown of the Austro-Hungarian Empire (AHE) in 1918, Olszewska remained in Tuzla and retired as a Yugoslav official physician in 1923. When she died in Tuzla in 1932, local colleagues had to arrange for a proper funeral because Olszewska did not leave any savings due to her insufficient pension. Olszewska's grave never received a tombstone, and it is untraceable today. Conclusion. Jadwiga Olszewska (1855-1932) was a woman pioneer of medicine from Poland, who practiced her profession first as an assistant physician in Serbia (1895-1899) and then as an AH and Yugoslavian official female doctor in Tuzla, BH (1899-1923). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: Although criteria and recommendations for the successful integration of sex- and gender-sensitive aspects in medical teaching have already been published, only a few medical faculties in Germany have conducted the systematic integration of sex- and gender-sensitive medicine. The aim of this expert survey, therefore, was to describe the current approaches to the integration of sex- and gender-sensitive medicine in teaching in the sense of Good Practice. Method: Between April and June 2018, guided interviews were conducted with nine experts in the field of sex- and gender-sensitive medicine. Each of the experts had had experience of implementing sex- and gender-sensitive medicine at their universities. The expert interviews were then evaluated by means of quality content analysis, and frequency analyses were carried out. Results: Aspects of sex- and gender-sensitive medicine were integrated both longitudinally and selectively into the compulsory curriculum or elective fields of various medical, health and nursing science courses. In the opinion of the experts, medical studies should promote the students' gender sensitivity and in particular impart knowledge about the psychosocial and biological aspects of sex- and gender-related differences and sex- and gender-sensitive communication. For the methodological implementation of the integrated contents, didactic resources were partly adapted or developed. The players in the implementation process were confronted with various challenges, e.g. the involvement of the lecturers, the perception of sex- and gender-sensitive medicine as a women's theme as well as ensuring the sustainable integration of sex- and gender-sensitive medicine, which is also structurally anchored in the faculty. Aspects of the curricular integration (e.g. evidence-basing, relevance in examinations) and the structural anchoring (e.g. central organization, staff availability) were mentioned i.a. as being crucial for success. A combination of top-down and bottom-up processes, e.g. by involving the faculty management but also by supporting student initiatives, was described as conducive to success. Conclusion: The depicted approaches to the integration of sex- and gender-sensitive teaching contents give insight as to how sex- and gender-sensitive medicine can be integrated into the curricula. The interviews with the experts point to current themes related to sex- and gender-sensitive medicine and didactic resources. Moreover, it becomes clear which challenges are to be expected for the integration of sex- and gender-sensitive medicine in teaching and how these can be addressed. Particularly the involvement of the faculty's lecturers but also the sustainable integration and continual quality assurance of sex- and gender-sensitive contents present challenges of a crucial nature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An increasing number of global initiatives aim to address the disconnection between the increasing number of women entering medicine and the persistence of gender imbalance in the physician anaesthesiologist workforce. This commentary complements the global movement's efforts to increase women's representation in academic anaesthesiology by presenting considerations for fostering inclusion for women in academic anaesthesiology from both the faculty and departmental leadership perspectives in a US academic anaesthesiology department. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Women constitute a minority (9.2%) of academic neurosurgeons. We previously found that women in academic medicine are disadvantaged in funding and career advancement opportunities. We hypothesized that women are also underrepresented at neurosurgical society conferences. Programs from the 2014–2018 meetings of the Congress of Neurological Surgeons (CNS), American Association of Neurological Surgery (AANS), and North American Skull Base Society (NASBS) were analyzed. Demographic data, including name, gender, and geographic region of practice, were collected for speaker, moderator, or leadership positions. χ2 statistical analysis was performed for difference in gender representation across all opportunity spots. In the period 2014–2018, there was no female presidents or honored guest at any academic meetings analyzed; 53.8% of executive committees comprised all men. Women often constituted a minority (<15%) of speakers and moderators at CNS, AANS, and NASBS meetings: speakers (% female, range), 8.6 (5.5–11.7), 13.6 (10.1–19.7), and 10.5 (5.6–16.6); moderators (% female, range), 7.8 (0–14.3), 23.0 (81.3–91.3), and 13.0 (8.6–18.7). Conference panels frequently comprised all men (58% CNS, 20.7% AANS, 61% NASBS). χ2 analysis found a disparity in male and female participation across all opportunity spots (P = 0.002). Additionally, female participants are often repeated, decreasing total number of unique women participating. There was no significant increase in female participation across the study period. In 2014–2018, underrepresentation of women in national neurosurgical conferences either matched or exceeded the baseline gender disparity seen in academic neurosurgery. We discussed potential causes of and strategies to address these findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Female physicians and scientists represent less than one third of first and senior authors in oncology journals. Equal opportunities and training in gender bias are necessary to level out the playing field for current and future female physicians and scientists. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Underrepresentation of women in academic medicine has been a longstanding issue. While there has been an increase in the fraction of women in medical school and residency programs, this has not translated to female representation in national and international conferences across many medical specialties, with continued presence of all-male speaking panels or "manels". The American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) and the Canadian Association of Radiation Oncology (CARO) host two large annual radiation oncology conferences. We aimed to assess the prevalence and longitudinal trends of manels and gender representation at these meetings during 2018-2021. We hypothesized that both conferences would have a decrease in manels and increased representation of female panelists over time Using ASTRO and CARO online programs, 2018-2021 faculty information was obtained. Data collected included perceived or self-reported gender, panel role (chair vs. non-chair), type of session, and topic. Primary outcomes included percentage of manels and proportion of female panelists over time. Female representation among chairs, and topics were also evaluated. During 2018-2021, across both conferences there were a total of 905 sessions with 3,061 faculty members, of which 1,338 (44%) were females, and 222 (25%) panel sessions were manels. At ASTRO meetings, with a total of 2,825 faculty members and 815 sessions, 1223 (43%) were females and 199 (24%) panel sessions were manels, with similar results seen at CARO meeting, with a total of 236 faculty members and 90 sessions, 115 (49%) were females and 23 (26%) panel sessions were manels. Over time, there was a significant decrease in the proportion of manels, at ASTRO from 38% in 2018 to 12% in 2021 (p<0.001) with a corresponding increase in proportion of female panelists from 38% to 48% (p=0.01). At CARO, the proportion of manels decreased from 29% in 2018 to 18% in 2021 (p=0.2), and the proportion of female panelists increased from 40% to 61% (p=0.005). The role of chair was majority male in every year from 2018 to 2021 at ASTRO (56% overall) and CARO (74% overall). Among session type, the highest proportion of manels was observed for leadership sessions (37%, p=0.3) at ASTRO and for educational and scientific sessions (27%, p=0.003) at CARO. The lowest proportion of female panelists were on the topics of genitourinary cancers (34%, p=0.034) at ASTRO and genitourinary cancers and physics (33%, p=0.038) at CARO. Overall, at both ASTRO and CARO conferences the proportion of manels has decreased over time and both have seen an increase in the number of female panelists. However, there are specific topics/specialties where females remain particularly underrepresented. ASTRO and CARO should strive to further increase female involvement reflective of the expertise and representation in the field, and consider eliminating manels altogether. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presenters encouraged female leaders in oncology to consider adopting or creating a gender policy and harassment policies if none currently exist at their own institutions. Sexual harassment by superiors and/or peers was reported by 80% of the women surveyed, and gender harassment was reported by 79% of female respondents. [Extracted from the article]

Through the life experiences of Marta, a Mapuche male transgendered shaman in Chile, I analyze how selfhood is gendered dynamically by individual desire and competing cultural and religious norms. Marta's unique identity as a divine heterosexual woman is based on a spiritual transformation, her manner of dressing, and her gender performances. It challenges conventional notions of transvestism, transgenderism, and homosexuality linked to sexed bodies. At the same time, Marta's self is shaped and constrained by the normative gender ideologies of the Virgin Mary, shamanic lore, the Mapuche, and dominant Chilean society. I analyze the negative effect that the imposition of homophobic norms of dominant Chilean society have on the life, identity, dignity and practice of machi Marta. These norms are implemented first by the prison guards, then by the media, and finally by Mapuche themselves. I explore how and why Mapuche have abandoned the older gender variant role of machi weye-machi that oscillated between masculine and feminine poles and combined women's and men's behavior, dress, and styles as well as passive or active sexual acts with women or men or celibacy that would have legitimated Marta's identity and practice. I analyze to what extent the incorporation of the homophobic gender and sexual norms of mainstream Chilean society within Mapuche communities has transformed and undermined the gender duality of machi practice. This article calls for the acceptance of all gender and sexually variant roles, particularly those of machi. I show that it is precisely the dual gender roles of machi that allows them to perform as mediators between the human and spiritual world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This essay examines two prominent models for the interpretation of Native American rock art, highlighting projections of Euro-American gender ideologies and tensions over masculinity onto (pre)historic cultures. Specifically, the figure of the Native American shaman models masculine power as symbolic and spiritual, not physical, yet linked to a virile heterosexuality. By identifying discursive homologies, this centering of a primitive, spiritual masculinity is understood as a response to the Euro-American "crisis of masculinity." [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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In this article, I look at the ways in which gendered national discourses and the discourses of Mapuche resistance movements coerce and construct shamans (machi) and the ways in which machi appropriate, transform, and contest these images. I explore the contradictions between machi’s hybrid practices and their traditional representations of self and why they choose to represent themselves as they do. My interest lies in the ways in which studying gendered representations by and about machi, especially machi’s nonideological political practices, can contribute to current discussions of power and resistance, agency and structure, and the practice of power itself. Recent anthropological work has focused on the particular historical, social, political, and economic contexts shaping how and why indigenous groups decide to protect and promote particular images of themselves. I focus not on the community politics in which machi are involved, but on machi’s public faces in relation to national political figures and Mapuche political leaders such as longko. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

I show how spiritual kinships ties, spiritual marriages, and relationships of mastery between Mapuche shamans (machi), animals, and spirits in initiation and healing rituals reflect historical ethnic and national relationships, social and gender dynamics, and complex understandings of personhood. Machi' s spiritual relationships are shaped by the gendered power dynamics of colonial mastery and domination, marriage and seduction, possession and ecstasy, and hierarchical kinship systems. These spiritual relationships reflect a complex understanding of personal consciousness in which machi are agents of their actions but at the same time share self with the spirits and are dominated by them. Machi gain varied forms of knowledge and power through the exchange of bodily substances as well as through spiritual means. In doing so, they offer a new perspective on current discussions among anthropologists about embodiment, ensoulment, and personhood. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article focuses on the public prestige and preferred gender of mental health providers. Health practitioners traditionally have been accorded a high order of respect and general regard by the public, in part because they are the cultural descendents of the community shaman. While surveys reported from time to time consistently have rated the doctor high, differential rankings of the various mental health professions have not been readily available. One hundred ambulatory adults of each gender were interviewed on a well-traveled major street in Washington D.C. Each person was approached and asked to rank a list presented in alphabetical order of 10 professions that function in the mental health field.