Author Interviews, Education, JAMA / 20.07.2023
Female Physicians Remain Hard to Retain in Academic Medicine
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
[caption id="attachment_60649" align="alignleft" width="135"]
Dr. Kelleher[/caption]
Cassandra Kelleher, MD
Surgical Director, Fetal Care Program
Surgical Director, Neonatal Intensive Care Unit
Physician Investigator (Cl)
Surgery, Mass General Research Institute
Associate Professor of Surgery
Harvard Medical School
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: Physicians practicing in academic hospitals have unique responsibilities. They are not only expected to treat patients, but also to conduct research to improve treatments for future patients, and to train future physicians.
Diverse healthcare teams have better patient outcomes and lower healthcare costs. Women physicians, for example, are more likely to practice patient-centered care, and through their teaching and research work at academic medical centers, they help to disseminate and normalize novel approaches to practicing medicine. For these reasons, gender diversity in academic medicine is important for the quality of healthcare in the future.
Dr. Kelleher[/caption]
Cassandra Kelleher, MD
Surgical Director, Fetal Care Program
Surgical Director, Neonatal Intensive Care Unit
Physician Investigator (Cl)
Surgery, Mass General Research Institute
Associate Professor of Surgery
Harvard Medical School
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: Physicians practicing in academic hospitals have unique responsibilities. They are not only expected to treat patients, but also to conduct research to improve treatments for future patients, and to train future physicians.
Diverse healthcare teams have better patient outcomes and lower healthcare costs. Women physicians, for example, are more likely to practice patient-centered care, and through their teaching and research work at academic medical centers, they help to disseminate and normalize novel approaches to practicing medicine. For these reasons, gender diversity in academic medicine is important for the quality of healthcare in the future.
Dr. GALBIATI[/caption]
Francesca Galbiati, MD
Clinical/Research fellow in Endocrinology
Massachusetts General Hospital
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: Arginine-vasopressin (AVP) is a neurohormone well known for its role in water balance regulation. It promotes renal water absorption in the kidney, to maintain normal sodium levels in the blood via a tightly controlled osmotic regulation. Besides AVP classical role, data have shown that AVP effects extend beyond water balance regulation. Animal studies have shown that AVP has metabolic effects, including reducing food intake, inducing lipolysis, and promoting muscle regeneration in male mice.
Furthermore, AVP is regulated differently in males and females, and affects cognition differently across sexes, a phenomenon called sexual dimorphism. However, it is unknown whether its dimorphism translates to metabolism. Also, findings on AVP metabolic role are inconsistent, possibly due to the opposing effects of AVP at different receptor subtypes, which regulation is still largely unknown. We performed this study to better investigate AVP metabolic role, and explore sex differences. We hypothesized that AVP would be positively associated with BMI, adiposity, and lean mass (acting as a signal of energy availability). We also predicted that relationships between AVP and body composition measures would differ by sex. We used the AVP area under the curve around a standardized meal to better capture repeated measures in response to food intake (that directly impacts energy availability). This also allowed to avoid the possible risk of fluctuating AVP levels due to possible pulsatile secretion.
