Female participation at the AAO conference
Reviewed by Fiona Rowe

This study sought to understand whether female participation among paediatric ophthalmologists at the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) annual meeting resembles the sex distribution of the field as well as whether the Covid-19 pandemic significantly affected female involvement. From 2018–2022, 923 paediatric ophthalmologists participated at the AAO conference; 46.2% were presented by females. Females facilitated instruction courses (32.5%), subspecialty day speakers / moderators (31.6%), poster presenters (16.9%), symposia chairs / speakers (12.1%), oral paper presenters (3.6%) and video producers (3.3%). Of 603 unique participants, 46.6% were female. Average instance of participation was 2.37 overall (2.36 for females and 2.38 for males). Over the 2018–2022 period, the proportion of female presenters remained similar as did the proportion of female members of the American Academy of Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus.

Female representation in pediatric ophthalmology at the American Academy of Ophthalmology annual meeting from 2018 to 2022.
Hucko L, Pajek S, Robles-Holmes H, et al.
JOURNAL OF PEDIATRIC OPHTHALMOLOGY AND STRABISMUS
2024:61(1):6–13.