Evaluation of Culture Conducive to Academic Success by Gender at a Comprehensive Cancer Center

The primary objective of this study was to determine whether workplace culture in academic oncology differed by gender, during the COVID-19 pandemic. We used the Culture Conducive to Women's Academic Success (CCWAS), a validated survey tool, to investigate the academic climate at an NCI-designa...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:The oncologist (Dayton, Ohio) Ohio), 2024-03, Vol.29 (3), p.e351-e359
Main Authors: Keenan, Bridget P, Sibley, Amanda, Zhang, Li, Westring, Alyssa F, Velazquez, Ana I, Bank, Erin M, Bergsland, Emily K, Boreta, Lauren, Conroy, Patricia, Daras, Mariza, Hermiston, Michelle, Hsu, Gerald, Paris, Pamela L, Piawah, Sorbarikor, Sinha, Sumi, Sosa, Julie A, Tsang, Mazie, Venook, Alan P, Wong, Melisa, Yom, Sue S, Van Loon, Katherine
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Academic Success
COVID-19 - epidemiology
Faculty, Medical
Female
Gender equality
Health Outcomes and Economics of Cancer Care
Hospitals, University
Human resource management
Humans
Male
Medical centers
Neoplasms - epidemiology
Oncologists
Pandemics
Sexism
Surveys
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:The primary objective of this study was to determine whether workplace culture in academic oncology differed by gender, during the COVID-19 pandemic. We used the Culture Conducive to Women's Academic Success (CCWAS), a validated survey tool, to investigate the academic climate at an NCI-designated Cancer Center. We adapted the CCWAS to be applicable to people of all genders. The full membership of the Cancer Center was surveyed (total faculty = 429). The questions in each of 4 CCWAS domains (equal access to opportunities, work-life balance, freedom from gender bias, and leadership support) were scored using a 5-point Likert scale. Median score and interquartile ranges for each domain were calculated. A total of 168 respondents (men = 58, women = 106, n = 4 not disclosed) submitted survey responses. The response rate was 39% overall and 70% among women faculty. We found significant differences in perceptions of workplace culture by gender, both in responses to individual questions and in the overall score in the following domains: equal access to opportunities, work-life balance, and leader support, and in the total score for the CCWAS. Our survey is the first of its kind completed during the COVID-19 pandemic at an NCI-designated Cancer Center, in which myriad factors contributed to burnout and workplace challenges. These results point to specific issues that detract from the success of women pursuing careers in academic oncology. Identifying these issues can be used to design and implement solutions to improve workforce culture, mitigate gender bias, and retain faculty.
ISSN:1083-7159
1549-490X
1549-490X
DOI:10.1093/oncolo/oyad194