Mediaplanet and Emmy-Nominated Actress Chandra Wilson from Team Up to Advocate and Raise Awareness About the Gender Disparity in Surgery, and Why the Industry Needs Women

NEW YORK, June 27, 2019 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Mediaplanet today announces the launch of June's first edition of "Women in Surgery." This campaign will educate and empower young women about the need for innovative leaders and the growing opportunities that come with pursuing a career as a surgeon in the healthcare industry. Additionally, it showcases leading organizations that are dedicated to closing the gender disparity within the industry by promoting diversity, mentorship, and inclusion initiatives.

Despite ongoing efforts in medical schools and professional organizations, the number of women in surgery remains low. According to the American Medical Association, statistics show that women currently constitute only 19 percent of surgeons within the United States, with areas such as orthopedic, neurological, thoracic, vascular, and otolaryngology surgery showing the most gender disparity. And although healthcare leaders, academic institutions, and hospitals have overwhelmingly embraced the importance of diversity and inclusion in the workforce, female surgeons still represent a small percentage of leadership positions at these different organizations — whether it's the department chair at a university or the chief of surgery at a leading hospital.

Even with the number of women enrolling in medical schools increasing each year, the low numbers of women in surgical specialties persist, with many women focusing their attention on other areas, such as obstetrics and gynecology, pediatrics, and dermatology. There are also several obstacles prospective female surgeons are faced with which may potentially be inhibiting them from going down this path. Some issues include greater work/life balance challenges, pay disparity between men and women in the medical profession, and harassment in the workplace. According to an article from Forbes, 58 percent of women surgeons have suffered from sexual harassment in the medical work environment.

In the era of #MeToo and #TimesUp, now is the time to change the dynamic and rethink the stigma surrounding the operating room by changing the conversation. By encouraging, educating, and empowering prospective female surgeons about the professional development, success, and growing opportunity that comes with a career in the field, it will help to invite more women and lead to a more diverse and inclusive medical work environment.

The print component of "Women in Surgery" is distributed within today's edition of USA Today, with a circulation of approximately 250,000 copies and an estimated readership of over 750,000. The digital component is distributed nationally, through a vast social media strategy, and across a network of top news sites and partner outlets. To explore the digital version of the campaign, visit: https://www.educationandcareernews.com/campaign/women-in-surgery/

Chandra Wilson, Emmy nominated actress and director known for her role as Dr. Miranda Bailey on "Grey's Anatomy" graces the cover of the print publication. Through an exclusive interview, Wilson talks about the significance, benefit, and value of diversity in the surgical space for organization development. "It is absolutely important that we see more inclusiveness and diversity in surgery because it benefits patients to see people like them in the medical profession caring for them."

Chandra also talks about the importance of showcasing women in leadership positions in media as role models to young women, as her character Dr. Bailey represents the chief of surgery at Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital.

"Because of Dr. Bailey's existence and women like her (not on TV shows), women and girls in the future will never recall a time when a woman could not be in a high-ranking leadership position, or a chief of surgery, for instance."

Chandra continues by saying, "it's important to encourage women to pursue a career in surgery if it is a career that they want to obtain, to prove that the goal can be achieved, and to encourage others to try."

This campaign was made possible with the support of the American College of Surgeons, Rush University Medical Center, Intuitive Surgical, UC Davis Health, Stryker, Chandra Wilson of "Grey's Anatomy", The Association for Surgical Education, The Society of Surgical Oncology, National Institutes of Health, Christina Chang of "The Good Doctor", Society for Vascular Surgery, American Society of Transplantation, The Society of Black Academic Surgeons and Dr. Susan Love of the Susan Love Research Foundation.

About Mediaplanet
Media Planet specializes in the creation of content marketing campaigns covering a variety of industries. We tell meaningful stories that educate our audience and position our clients as solution providers. Our unique ability to pair the right leaders with the right readers, through the right platforms, has made Media Planet a global content marketing powerhouse. Our award-winning stories have won the hearts of countless readers while serving as a valuable platform for brands and their missions. Just call us storytellers with a purpose. Please visit http://www.mediaplanet.com for more on who we are and what we do.

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SOURCE Mediaplanet