Study Finds Widespread Sexual Harassment in Academic Medicine

A new study led by Reshma Jagsi, chair of the department of radiation oncology at the Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta, finds that women are disproportionately affected by workplace mistreatment in academic medicine, and this mistreatment negatively impacts their mental health.

Researchers surveyed a total of 830 faculty members who received National Institutes of Health career development awards in 2006—2009 and remained in academia. The study found that high rates of sexual harassment, cyber incivility and negative workplace climate disproportionately target marginalized individuals, including women.

Key findings show that women were more likely than men to experience sexual harassment, including gender harassment and unwanted sexual attention. Of the women surveyed, 71.9 percent reported that they experienced gender harassment during the past two years.

Women rated both the general and diversity workplace climate as worse than men and reported certain forms of incivility, sexist comments, and sexual harassment when using social media professionally. In addition, mental health ratings were lower for women, and this difference appeared partly explained by differences in culture experiences.

“The findings suggest that even while women’s representation in the medical field has improved, their experiences reflect marginalization,” says Professor Jagsi. “These stressors lead to a lack of psychological safety, communicate unbelonging, and affect mental health, compromising the vitality of these critical contingents of the professional workforce.”

Prior to joining Emory University, Dr. Jagsi was the Newman Family Professor, deputy chair and residency program director in the department of radiation oncology and director of the Center for Bioethics and Social Sciences in Medicine at the University of Michigan. Professor Jagsi holds a bachelor’s degree and a medical doctorate from Harvard University. She also holds a Ph.D. in social policy from the University of Oxford in England, where she was a Marshall Scholar.

The full study, “Workplace Harassment, Cyber Incivility, and Climate in Academic Medicine,” was published on the website of the Journal of the American Medical Association. It may be accessed here.