Gender differences in successful National Institutes of Health funding in ophthalmology.
OBJECTIVE
To determine whether gender differences in individual National Institutes of Health (NIH) awards and in funding totals exist in ophthalmology, and to further characterize whether factors such as experience, academic rank, and terminal degree play a role.


DESIGN
A retrospective review of awards granted to primary investigators (PIs) in ophthalmology departments from 2011 through the present was conducted. PIs were classified by gender, degree, experience, and academic position. The NIH funding database was used to gather award data.


SETTING
Academic medical center.


RESULTS
Men had higher mean NIH awards ($418,605) than their female colleagues ($353,170; p = 0.005) and had higher total funding per PI (p = 0.004). Men had statistically higher awards at the level of assistant professor than their female counterparts (p < 0.05). A gender difference was statistically significant and most marked among researchers holding an MD (or equivalent) degree. When controlled for publication experience, men had higher NIH awards throughout their careers, although this difference only reached statistical significance on comparison of faculty with 10 or fewer years of experience.


CONCLUSIONS
Male PIs receiving grants since 2011 had higher awards than their female colleagues did, most markedly among PIs in the earlier portions of their career. Differences in gender representation among senior faculty and in positions of leadership in academic ophthalmology may be partially a result of disparities in research output, as scholarly productivity is an important component of the academic advancement process in ophthalmology.
['Svider|Peter F|PF|', "D'Aguillo|Christine M|CM|", 'White|Priscilla E|PE|', 'Pashkova|Anna A|AA|', 'Bhagat|Neelakshi|N|', 'Langer|Paul D|PD|', 'Eloy|Jean Anderson|JA|']
D001363:Awards and Prizes D005260:Female D005381:Financing, Organized D006801:Humans D008297:Male D009316:National Institutes of Health (U.S.) D009885:Ophthalmology D012189:Retrospective Studies D012737:Sex Factors D014481:United States
gender NIH funding Interpersonal and Communication Skills NIH RePORTER NIH funding gender disparity Practice-Based Learning and Improvement Professionalism academic promotion gender disparity