Skip to main content

The piece, authored by Melina Kibbe, MD, the Colin G. Thomas Jr. Distinguished Professor and Chair, Department of Surgery, found that there has been a reduction in the percentage of women submitting manuscripts to JAMA Surgery during the COVID-19 pandemic.


This editorial examined the gender of authors submitting manuscripts to JAMA Surgery during April and May of 2020 as compared to submissions during the same time period in 2019. Kibbe noted a 4% reduction in the percentage of women first authors, a 6% reduction of women last authors, and a 7% reduction in women as corresponding authors. Kibbe opines that COVID-19 has amplified disparities that already exist between men and women with respect to home and childcare duties. She points out that women with children are facing greater challenges as a result of the pandemic, which may adversely affect their careers. The article includes a call-to-action for academic institutions to find creative solutions for females burdened with more domestic and childcare responsibilities than their male counterparts.

Melina Kibbe, MD, the Colin G. Thomas, Jr. Distinguished Professor and Chair of Surgery at the UNC School of Medicine, is the Editor-in-Chief of JAMA Surgery. She has been at the helm of the journal since January 2015. JAMA Surgery is an international surgery journal that reaches approximately 100,000 readers weekly and is now the #1 surgery journal in the world with an impact factor of 13.625.

Read the full article here (https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamasurgery/fullarticle/2769186).