PURPOSE: National medical specialty societies speak for their respective fields in policy debates, influence research, affect trainees' specialization decisions, provide career development opportunities, and confer awards and recognitions. This study provides a comprehensive overview of the gender demographics of society members and leaders. METHOD: In 2016, the Group on Women in Medicine and Science (of the Association of American Medical Colleges) sought to characterize the gender of members and leaders of specialty societies from 2000-2015. This report provides descriptive data, including how many of the responding societies (representing each of 30 major medical specialties) had substantial ( > 10%) increases in women's representation among leadership between the first and second halves of the study period. RESULTS: The average proportion of female full members in responding societies was 25.4% in 2005; 29.3% in 2015. The proportion of women serving as the highest-ranking elected leader between 2000-2015 in each specialty ranged from 0 to 37.5% (mean 15.8%). The mean proportion of women on governing boards ranged from 0 to 37.3% (mean of means, 18.8%) in 2000-07 and from 0 to 47.6% (mean of means, 25.2%) in 2008-2015. In 9 specialties, the mean percentage of women serving on governing boards increased by > 10% from the first to second half of the study period. CONCLUSIONS: Although many women are full members of specialty societies, women still constitute a minority of leaders. This report establishes a baseline from which to evaluate the effect of societies' efforts to improve diversity, equity, and inclusion.

While there are more women in leadership positions in academic medicine now than ever before in our history, evidence from recent surveys of women and from graduating medical students demonstrates that sexual harassment continues in our institutions. Our ability to change the culture is hampered by fear of reporting episodes of harassment, which is largely due to fear of retaliation. We describe some efforts in scientific societies that are addressing this and working to establish safe environments at national meetings. We must also work at the level of each institution to make it safe for individuals to come forward, to provide training for victims and for bystanders, and to abolish "locker room" talk that is demeaning to women.

PURPOSE: To determine how U.S. MD-granting medical schools manage, fund, and evaluate faculty affairs/development functions and to determine the evolution of these offices between 2000 and 2010. METHOD: In December 2010, the authors invited faculty affairs designees at 131 U.S. MD-granting medical schools to complete a questionnaire developed by the Association of American Medical Colleges Group on Faculty Affairs, based on a 2000 survey. Schools were asked about core functions, budget, staffing, and performance metrics. The authors analyzed the data using descriptive statistics. RESULTS: A total of 111 schools (84.7%) responded. Fifty percent of the offices were established since 2000. Seventy-eight percent reported their top core function as administrative support for appointments, promotions, and tenure, as in 2000. Faculty policies, appointments, databases, governance support, grievance proceedings, management issues, and annual trend analyses continued as major functions. All 11 core functions identified in 2000 remain predominantly provided by central offices of faculty affairs, except support of major leadership searches. Web site communication emerged as a new core function. Similar to 2000, several other offices were responsible for some faculty development functions. Office size and budget correlated positively with size of the faculty and age of the office (P < .05 for all). Thirty-five schools (31.5%) reported formally evaluating their faculty affairs office. CONCLUSIONS: The number of faculty affairs offices and their responsibilities have substantially increased since 2000. Most major core functions have not changed. These offices are now an established part of the central administration of most medical schools.