Thread by @DrMarthaGulati

Our paper in @JACCJournals today:
Childbearing Among Women Cardiologists
The Interface of Experience, Impact, and the Law
with my coauthors @pamelasdouglas @drmalissawood @sarma_amy @DrToniyaSingh @Drroxmehran Dr. Bairey Merz & legal experts Joan Williams,Rachel Korn,Jessica Lee

👉Rate of ⬆️ of #WIC is just 0.3%/year
👉No Federal Mandate for Maternity Leave in🇺🇸
👉Issues related to childbearing affect practicing cardiologists
💃purpose of this study was to examine
the impact of pregnancy & maternity leave &
associated institutional policies/practices WIC

📌323 Respondents: ~35% of #WIC so quite good for a survey
📌Practices: Academic🎓/Hospital🏥/🏠Private
📌37% report extra call/service prior to MatLeave
📌<8% have RVUs prorated for MatLeave
📌41% had salary⬇️ during pregnancy year
📌23%: no paid MatLeave

🚨~37% with pregnancy complications!
This is higher than reported in any surgical specialty or any medical specialty!

@HeartOTXHeartMD @mirvatalasnag @bjcohenmd @JoshuaBeckmanMD @HFnursemaghee @WomenAs1 @SharonneHayes @HeartDocSharon

🚨 Salary 💰⬇️ in 41% of #WIC: particularly highest in private practice but not protected in academic settings or hospital settings

📌37% of #WIC had to perform extra service/call prior to maternity leave to "make up" for that time.
📌Performing this extra service/call did not translate into better salary💰/ salary protection the year after pregnancy
#WIC #WomenInCardiology

📌51.1% reported that pregnancy adversely
impacted their career
📌Performing extra service/call before Mat Leave associated w/⬆️likelihood that being🤰 as a cardiologist negatively impacted career [OR = 2.34 (P < 0.001)]
📌Salary⬇️ &🤰complications negatively impacted career

🚨Really the trends haven't improved over time-Just women are more likely to take longer leave even if unpaid
📌Also, women don't necessarily associate the extra service/call with🤰 complications but AT THE MOST VUNERABLE TIME IN LIFE WE ARE ASKING WOMEN TO DO MORE CALL!

🤰MATERNITY LEAVE IN 🇺🇸 is highly variable: not all universities provide it, no all hospitals
🤰It is much harder for private practice #WIC and they are more likely to take unpaid leave
🤰Salary more likely to⬇️ in private practice (but even in universities is can fall)

🚨Working during Maternity Leave is quite common in #Cardiology #CardioTwitter
📌Working during MatLeave did not preserve salary
📌If you didn't do extra service/call, you were less likely to work during MatLeave
🚨 It's illegal to ask women to work during their Maternity leave

We need more Women in Cardiology
We need to address this issues related to child bearing- many of our practices are illegal!
Our proposed solutions are ⬇️
📌transparent MatLeave policy (until we have a federal one!)
📌Use Locums not pregnant women!
📌Provide lactation rooms

Women & Leaders in Cardiology (both men & women): Please see Supplement 2 because it is a legal guide to advocate for #WIC who are pregnant to change to status quo
This is a legal document that can guide our hospitals and academic settings of what is allowed & what is illegal

authors.elsevier.com/a/1ekpK2d9GHsT…