https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3142-0388
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Aliya Izumi, Grace Lee, Lorena Montes, Dominique Vervoort, Reply to Novkunskaya et al., European Journal of Cardio-Thoracic Surgery, Volume 67, Issue 3, March 2025, ezaf076, https://doi.org/10.1093/ejcts/ezaf076
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Dear Editor,
We sincerely thank our colleagues for their interest in our manuscript and for engaging in meaningful discourse surrounding this topic [1]. A primary goal of our study was to stimulate discussion about gender inequity in global cardiac surgery, including workforce data collection and reporting mechanisms. Their thoughtful response underscores one of our key conclusions: while this paper provides an important initial benchmark for the representation of women cardiac surgeons globally, continued efforts are needed to refine and improve the scope and accuracy of available workforce data at a country-by-country level.
We acknowledge the limitations of existing datasets in our discussion [2]. Access to accurate and comprehensive workforce data remains a significant challenge, and we fully agree that global data collection should extend beyond sole reliance on professional associations. As such, we have attempted to validate the absolute reported number of cardiac surgeons for various regions through local cardiac surgical leadership, author contacts and previous validations of our methodology [3]. Despite the limitations surrounding existing data sources, our percentage-based analyses still offer meaningful insights into the current state of gender equity in cardiac surgery. Inaccuracies in the absolute numbers of cardiac surgeons are, of course, possible; however, there is no reason to assume a systematic exclusion of women. As such, the available ratios of women-to-men surgeons should sufficiently reflect sex-based realities on a global and even loco-regional level. This was an important consideration that we acknowledged during the study’s conception and sought to address continuously throughout the implementation and analysis. Nonetheless, we thank our colleagues for identifying specific countries where workforce data may warrant re-evaluation, with subsequent studies benefiting from more granular, scalable and continuous data collection mechanisms, as well as direct consultation with local surgeons in regions not adequately consulted.
