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Gender inequalities in clinical academic careers

The advancement of excellent healthcare requires developing and retaining a diverse community of research-focused healthcare professionals.

However, inequalities in clinical academia exist. It is not completely understood why these inequalities occur, or what interventions exist to facilitate equality.
This study aims to identify the barriers and facilitators to equality in clinical academic careers and the interventions to address these, with a focus on gender inequality.

About the study

The Health Professions Education Unit at Hull York Medical School, and the Centre for Reviews and Dissemination at the University of York have been leading research into inequalities in clinical academic careers, with a particular focus on gender and ethnicity.

The work, titled "From the sticky floor to the glass ceiling and everything in between: A systematic review and qualitative study focusing on gender inequalities in Clinical Academic careers" was funded by the NIHR Academy, Academy of Medical Sciences, Cancer Research UK, Health Education England, Medical Research Council, and Wellcome Trust. 

This multi-phasic study sought to explore barriers and facilitators to clinical academic careers, with a focus on inequalities based upon gender and ethnicity. The researchers conducted a systematic review and a qualitative exploration, including interviews and audio diaries. An intervention plan was created to enable clinical trusts, research funders and academic institutions to address inequalities and promote the recruitment and retention of clinical academics. 

The work was led by Principal Investigator Professor Gabrielle Finn, Honorary Researcher at Hull York Medical School and Vice Dean for Teaching, Learning and Students at the University of Manchester, and Co-Principal Investigator Dr Jess Morgan, Clinical Lecturer in Paediatric Oncology at Hull York Medical School. 


Study findings

Two reports have been produced:


A summmary video of the main results is also available on YouTube.


Outputs and impact

The project has already had a number of positive outputs, including conference presentations, available via YouTube.

The project has also made impact, for example the changes in Athena SWAN restrictions placed upon funding applications and a cross-funder letter to universities asking them to consider how they create supportive research culture. 

Project updates are accessible via the project Twitter account @GenderClinical 

Professor Gabrielle Finn and the Health Professions Education team led the qualitative studies and the development of the intervention plan. Dr Jess Morgan and the Centre for Reviews and Dissemination led the Systematic Review, the protocol for which can be accessed on the BMC website.


Research team

Principal Investigators:
  • Professor Gabrielle Finn, University of Manchester
  • Dr Jessica Morgan, Centre for Reviews and Dissemination, University of York
Research team:
  • Dr Amelia Kehoe, Health Professions Education Unit, University of York
  • Dr John Buchanan, Queen Mary University London, Bart’s Health NHS Trust
  • Dr Abisola Balogun-Katung, Health Professions Education Unit, University of York
  • Dr Paul Tiffin, University of York, Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys Foundation NHS Trust
  • Ms Ellie Taylor, University of Hull and University of Leeds
  • Dr Paul Crampton, Health Professions Education Unit, University of York
  • Mrs Jennifer Brown, Centre for Reviews and Dissemination, University of York
  • Mr Connor Evans, Centre for Reviews and Dissemination, University of York
  • Dr Gary Raine, Centre for Reviews and Dissemination, University of York
  • Professor Lesley Stewart, Centre for Reviews and Dissemination, University of York
  • Dr Eleonora Uphoff, Centre for Reviews and Dissemination, University of York

The study was funded by:

nihr-logo

Academy of Medical Sciences logo

Cancer Research UK logo

Health Education England logo

Medical Research Council logo

UKRI logo

Wellcome Trust logo