Study Looks at Gender Representation at EM Conferences

A recent study in Annals of Emergency Medicine tracked gender representation among speakers invited to give presentations at the 2022 and 2023 annual meetings of ACEP, the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine (SAEM), and the American Academy of Emergency Medicine (AAEM). The study, “Gender Representation Among Invited Physician Speakers at EM Conferences,” identified trends in the representation of women physician speakers.

Data were collected from publicly available conference programs, online resources, or the genderize.io tool. Gender representation was evaluated using generalized estimating equations.

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The results showed that there were 2,133 physician speakers across all conferences during the two-year period: 1,077 (50.5 percent) women, 1,045 (49 percent) men, and 11 (0.5%) nonbinary. There was no statistically significant difference in representation between men and women physician speakers (1.51 percent, 95 percent confidence interval −2.64 to 5.75). Gender representation remained stable between 2022 and 2023, with no significant conference-by-year interaction (P=0.58).

The study concluded that “the representation of women physicians among invited speakers at national emergency medicine conferences in 2022 and 2023 was approximately equal to that of men, contrasting with historical trends. Continued efforts to monitor gender representation at conferences are essential for maintaining and advancing this progress. Encouraging speakers to share preferred pronouns is one way [that] organizations can hold themselves accountable in this regard.”

CMS Adopts ACEP’s Boarding Measure in Major Win for Emergency Care

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has finalized a new quality measure developed and supported by ACEP members. The new Emergency Care Access and Timeliness measure will track and report how long admitted patients are boarded in the emergency department (ED), a critical step toward addressing the boarding crisis.

“Every day across the country, emergency physicians are caring for admitted patients in hallways, storage areas, and any space that can safely hold a stretcher because there simply are not enough inpatient beds,” said ACEP President L. Anthony Cirillo, MD, FACEP. “You cannot fix what you refuse to measure. This new Emergency Care Access and Timeliness measure is an essential first step toward real accountability for ED boarding and toward getting patients out of hallways and into beds so that they can get the care they need with the dignity they deserve.”

ACEP Statement: No Link Between Vaccines and Autism

In a statement, ACEP stood firmly behind the science: Decades of high-quality research show no link between vaccines and autism. The statement also emphasized that continuing to trust and promote vaccine safety is essential for protecting individuals and safeguarding public health.

“Strong evidence from decades of high-quality research shows no link between vaccines and autism. Statistically valid research has consistently shown that vaccines are the safest and most effective tools to prevent the spread of harmful viruses and devastating illnesses, particularly in children,” said ACEP President L. Anthony Cirillo, MD, FACEP.