Gender and Racial Representation of Invited Speakers From The Aesthetic Society Annual Meetings Over a 5-Year Period

Abstract

Background Increased representation from both women and non-White ethnicities remains a topic of discussion in plastic surgery. Speakers at academic conferences are a form of visual representation of diversity within the field. This study determined the current demographic landscape of aesthetic plastic surgery and evaluated whether underrepresented populations receive equal opportunities to be invited speakers at The Aesthetic Society meetings. Methods Invited speaker's names, roles, and allotted time for presentation were extracted from the 2017 to 2021 meeting programs. Perceived gender and ethnicity were determined by visual analysis of photographs, whereas parameters of academic productivity and professorship were collected from Doximity, LinkedIn, Scopus, and institutional profiles. Differences in opportunities to present and academic credentials were compared between groups. Results Of the 1447 invited speakers between 2017 and 2021, 20% (n = 294) were women and 23% (n = 316) belonged to a non-White ethnicity. Representation from women significantly increased between 2017 and 2021 (14% vs 30%, P < 0.001), whereas the proportion of non-White speakers did not (25% vs 25%, P > 0.050) despite comparable h-indexes (15.3 vs 17.2) and publications (54.9 vs 75.9) to White speakers. Non-White speakers oftentimes had more academic titles, significant in 2019 (P < 0.020). Conclusions The proportion of female invited speakers has increased, with room for further improvement. Representation from non-White speakers has not changed. However, significantly more non-White speakers holding assistant professor titles may indicate increased ethnicity diversity in years to come. Future efforts should focus on improving diversity in positions of leadership while promoting functions that target young minority career individuals.