Despite rising numbers of women physicians, gender inequity in salary, promotion and leadership roles persist, resulting in disempowerment and limited career advancement. Little is known about disparity characteristics among academic vascular neurology (AVN) faculty. This study explores the disparity among AVN faculty in compensation, career development and burnout.

Nineteen academic neurology departments in the US were sent a standardized survey in 2021-2022 on demographics, career, compensation, equity, domestic circumstances, parental leave, and burnout as part of the Women in Neurology Collaborative Study. This study analyzed AVN faculty and used descriptive characteristics to identify disparities.

A total of 47 AVN faculty (29 women) responded. Most respondents were Caucasian (68%, n=32) and associate professors (44%, n=21). 51% (n=24) were satisfied with their current compensation, with 54% (n=13) being men. The majority of respondents dissatisfied with compensation were women (75%, n=15). The most common reason for dissatisfaction was compensation being below national benchmark or compared to colleagues. 60% of AVN faculty, majority of whom were females, perceived lack of gender equity in pay. 23% of respondents reported that implicit gender bias negatively affected career development. Moderate to severe burnout was reported by 26% (n=12) respondents, with 75% (n=9) being females. Those who reported burnout have been AVN faculty for 5.9±3.3 years, of which half were dissatisfied with compensation and gender bias, while 67% indicated absence of career sponsorship and 42% had no mentorship.

In summary, majority of female vascular neurologists in early-career stage reported gender bias affecting compensation, career dissatisfaction, lack of mentorship or sponsorship and burnout. This offers preliminary information for AVN programs to determine areas of improvement in faculty pipeline development, recruitment, and retention to align with diversity, equity and inclusion efforts of academic institutions, national and international stroke organizations. Future studies should analyze how interventions can improve these disparities.