Female chief medical officers still rare but rising

As the ranks of women physicians grow, the number of female chief medical officers also appears to be rising, albeit slightly, reaching eight of 68 hospital chief medical officers, up from one in 2003, and one of 106 system chief medical officers, up from none, according to a survey by Physician Executive Management Center, Tampa, Fla. Female physician executives' pay lagged that of their male counterparts by about 20%, said David Kirschman, president of the physician recruiting firm. That may at least partly be explained by the small sample of female physician executives and the greater proportion working in government positions, Kirschman said. The average age of female chief medical officers was 50, compared with 54 for their male counterparts, and a greater percentage of the women (75%) than the men (61%) reported that they had or were working on an advanced management degree. -- by Joseph Conn