WIO Endowment Announces the FY22 Grant Recipients

Established in 2010, the Women in Otolaryngology Endowment (WIOE) provides grants for projects that are designed to benefit the professional development of women in otolaryngology and support actionable research. The 2022 WIOE recipients are Sydney C. Butts, MD; Yi Cai, MD; Tracy Z. Cheng, MD, MHS; Carly Clark, MD; Sarah M. Dermody, MD; Priya D. Krishna, MD; Katie M. Phillips, MD; Christina J. Yang, MD; and Nina S. Yoshpe, MD. Congratulations to all the recipients for their impactful projects.

Development of a Surgical Ergonomics Program for Otolaryngology Residents Focusing on Gender-Specific Risk Factors for Musculoskeletal Injuries studies ergonomic developments and the needs of otolaryngology residents as informed by their gender to promote the healthy and efficient performance of the physical procedures the specialty demands.
Grant Recipient: Sydney C. Butts, MD

How Implicit Bias Affects Us All: A Workshop Series proposes a live simulation-enhanced workshop series coupled with panel discussions to equip otolaryngologists with tools and strategies to grapple with implicit bias in the workplace. Through the simulation, the project identifies examples and effects of implicit bias from both patients and colleagues as it affects practice and provides strategies to address implicit bias when directly encountering an incident or as an active bystander. 
Grant Recipient: Christina J. Yang, MD 

Impact of Gender Differences in Operating Room Workflow for Surgeons investigates whether operating room workflow, which is measured by on-time starts, turnover time, and delays to postanesthesia care unit, differs between men and women surgeons and whether any identified variation is associated with years of clinical experience or practice setting. 
Grant Recipient: Sarah M. Dermody, MD

Insights into Career and Family Success from Women in Private Practice Otolaryngology examines women’s career and family success in academic otolaryngology by coding and analyzing focus group and individual interviews conducted with mothers about the daily work-life balance in their private otolaryngology practice.
Grant Recipient: Nina S. Yoshpe, MD

Network Analysis of Women Otolaryngology Faculty uses social network analysis to identify connections between women otolaryngologists in academia and in AAO-HNS. The project measures the academic contributions of women otolaryngology faculty and AAO-HNS members and identifies influence nodes of academic collaboration and demographic disparities within networks to highlight opportunities for future mentorship and collaboration. 
Grant Recipient: Tracy Z. Cheng MD, MHS 

Perceptions of Women Otolaryngologists on Barriers to Pay and Promotion Parity: A Preliminary Qualitative Study uses open-ended interview questions to qualitatively probe women’s perspectives on why disparities in wages and promotions are prevalent in otolaryngology compared to other professions within and outside surgical medicine. Interviews will be conducted with 28 women otolaryngologists from various subspecialties, in different practice environments, and at different stages of their careers, then coded to identify recurrent themes that offer insight into this disparity at a granular level.
Grant Recipient: Katie M. Phillips, MD

Philanthropic Fundraising and Potential Gender-Based Differences in Academic Surgical Specialties assess potential gender-based differences in philanthropic donations in academic surgical specialties. The project compares the prevalence of philanthropic donations and the number of donations between men and women in academic surgical specialties, using data from the past 10 years.  
Grant Recipient: Yi Cai, MD

Surgical Ergonomics for the Woman Surgeon selects leading experts for a webinar to speak about surgical ergonomics, its relevance, and the potential of surgical coaching and how it might be helpful.
Grant Recipient: Priya D. Krishna, MD

A Tutorial Series for Breastfeeding Surgeons: Tips and Pearls for Success stems from a multispecialty survey of breastfeeding surgeons to identify modifiable factors currently challenging breastfeeding goals. The project will provide wearable pumps for trainees through departmental and/or graduate medical education offices to combat challenges to breastfeeding at the workplace. This project seeks to provide an education resource tailored to women surgeons and addresses issues including pumping locations, pumping in the operating room or in between cases/clinic patients, breastmilk storage, hydration/caloric intake, finding time to pump or feed, and considerations for call.
Grant Recipient: Carly Clark, MD

The 2023 grant applications will open in December 2022. For more information, go to https://www.entnet.org/resource/wio-endowment-grants/.