The Coronavirus Disease 2019 Pandemic Unmasked the Challenges Faced by Early-Stage Faculty in Infectious Diseases: A Call to Action

• Type of Material: Article
• Authors: Erin Scherer, Emory University; Martin Backer, New York University; Karen Carvajal, University of Rochester; Lara Danziger-Isakov, University of Cincinnati; Sharon Frey, St Louis University; Leigh M. Howard, Vanderbilt University; Felicia Scaggs Huang, University of Cincinnati; Angelica C. Kottkamp, New York University; Tara Reid, University of Washington; Maria C. Rodriguez-Barradas, Michael & DeBakey Veteran Affairs Medical Center; Helen C. S. Karita, University of Washington; Zheyi Teoh, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center; Anna Wald, University of Washington; Jennifer Whitaker, Baylor College of Medicine; Zanthia Wiley, Emory University; Ighovwerha Ofotokun, Emory University; Kathryn M. Edwards, Vanderbilt University
• Language: English
• Date: 2022-09-22
• Publisher: OXFORD UNIV PRESS INC
• Publication Version: Final Published Version
• Copyright Statement: © The Author(s) 2022. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Infectious Diseases Society of America. All rights reserved.
• Final Published Version (URL): http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/cid/ciac779
• Title of Journal or Parent Work: CLINICAL INFECTIOUS DISEASES
• Volume: 76
• Issue: 4
• Start Page: 753
• End Page: 759
• Keywords: family; Science & Technology; COVID-19; Immunology; early-stage faculty; Infectious Diseases; URiM; WOMEN; Life Sciences & Biomedicine; MEDICINE; SCIENCE; women; Microbiology; GENDER
• Research Categories: Biology, Microbiology; Biology, Virology

Abstract

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and associated increase in family care responsibilities resulted in unsustainable personal and professional workloads for infectious diseases (ID) faculty on the front lines. This was especially true for early-stage faculty (ESF), many of whom had caregiving responsibilities. In addition, female faculty, underrepresented in medicine and science faculty and particularly ESF, experienced marked declines in research productivity, which significantly impacts career trajectories. When combined with staffing shortages due to an aging workforce and suboptimal recruitment and retention in ID, these work-life imbalances have brought the field to an inflection point. We propose actionable recommendations and call on ID leaders to act to close the gender, racial, and ethnic gaps to improve the recruitment, retention, and advancement of ESF in ID. By investing in systemic change to make the ID workforce more equitable, we can embody the shared ideals of diversity and inclusion and prepare for the next pandemic.