Project History

The Women’s Leadership Initiative was launched in January 2007 to identify and serve the needs of women EPs at all stages of their careers.  Anne B. Curtis, MD, FHRS, FACC, FAHA, who is a Past President of the Society and Chief of Cardiology and Director of Cardiovascular Services at the University of South Florida, chairs the Task Force. 

Needs Assessment

The WLI Task Force conducted a needs assessment of the female EP population, including member and non-member physicians.  A survey was developed based on findings from a series of preliminary interviews with female EPs.  The survey explored women’s perceptions of why they are attracted to the field of EP, what their greatest challenges are, what they seek in terms of networking and mentoring relationships, and the types of programming they would find most valuable. The online survey was conducted in March 2007 and had a response rate of 37% (70 out of 190 identified women EPs). 

Profile of Women EPs Surveyed

• The profile of respondents (68) who made up the sample used for analysis is as follows:
• 63% work in a hospital setting; 10% in an academic setting; and 26% in private practice
• 18% have never been married; 10% are single/divorced; 66% are married (first marriage); and 6% are married and have been married once before.
• 29% are either in a fellowship or in the first five years of practice; 7% are 6-10 years post fellowship; 46% 11-20 years post fellowship; and 19% have been in practice for more than 20 years.

Survey Findings

A variety of issues and priorities define the world of a female EP, both as a result of her role as an EP and her role as an individual who must blend her personal and professional life in a way that is more often than not, distinct from that of her male counterparts.

The survey identified four themes from the interview and survey phases of the research which appear to be unique to women EPs, and which have a defining impact on their personal and professional lives. These themes shape the context in which women EPs operate today.

• Women in EP face a “challenge conundrum”
  Women are attracted to EP primarily because of the constant intellectual and ‘high adrenaline” challenges of the subspecialty, characteristics traditionally associated with men. Yet, these same factors, because they tend to attract men disproportionately, underpin a culture that is not necessarily “female friendly.”
• Women in EP face issues of parity and trust in the workplace
  Because of the potential for family related issues, many women can find themselves at a disadvantage, professionally and personally. This can translate into a loss of promotional opportunities and fragile mentoring relationships.
• Women in EP identify a need for positive connections
  Women in EP perceive that their male colleagues have many more cultural and structural vehicles and opportunities to network and groom one another for career paths. When presented with opportunities in an atmosphere of perceived trust, women in EP indicate a strong interest in the chance to network as well as seek and provide mentoring.
• Women in EP need dedicated mentoring and networking vehicles
  Women find that traditional medical meetings and work environments rarely provide them ample opportunity for the kind of focused time they need for networking and mentoring.  Programs dedicated to addressing the need for these experiences should be separate and distinct from the traditional medical meeting model.

Heart Rhythm 2007

The WLI Task Force used these results to kick off the Women’s Leadership Initiative during Heart Rhythm 2007 in Denver. Eighty women attended an event to review the research results and set priorities. The group agreed that the vision for the initiative is to support women EPs in their chosen career and encourage female physicians-in-training to consider EP as an intriguing, fast-moving cardiovascular subspecialty.   Four areas were identified to create and support a self-sustaining community of women EPs who can foster each other’s career growth. The areas are: online community, mentoring, speakers bureau (later expanded to include other professional venues besides speaking) and non-clinical professional development training. [Links to respective sections in WLI Leadership document: Mentoring=p.2, Online=p.4, Speakers=p.5, Training=p.6.]

Since Heart Rhythm 2007, the four working groups have defined goals and objectives, created survey instruments, developed web content and built the WLI website.  The WLI Task Force continues to coordinate the working groups’ efforts and work with the HRS staff to establish a sustainable foundation for the effort. 

Program Phases

In order to set realistic expectations and milestones, the taskforce decided to prioritize the launch of these programs. The WLI was initially envisioned to have three phases.

• Phase 1: assessing the professional development needs of female EPs & structuring the initiative into areas of focus identified by the research (FY06).
• Phase II: launching a website of professional development content, databases and profiles of female EPs; and providing four professional development and networking sessions at Heart Rhythm 2008 (FY07-08).
• Phase III: providing mentorship and professional venue opportunities (FY08).

HRS is actively seeking to support two additional phases.

• Phase IV: planning and implementing a stand-alone multi-day HRS Women’s Leadership Conference (FY09).
• Phase V: Expanding the audience to women EPs working in non-academic and clinical EP environments, such as industry and government (FY09).

For more information about the WLI effort, contact Kristen Downey at the Heart Rhythm Society.