Breaking Barriers: A Look at Women's Ascendancy in Interventional Radiology
"Discover how female interventional radiologists are making significant strides, impacting research, and shaping the future of IR."
Despite ongoing efforts to balance gender representation in academic medicine, disparities persist. Interventional radiology (IR), historically a male-dominated field, now sees increasing contributions from women. Understanding their impact is crucial for addressing potential gender-related inequities and fostering a more inclusive medical community.
Historically, underrepresentation of women can lead to disparities in physician compensation, promotion, and recruitment, potentially impacting patient care and research. As academic advancement is heavily influenced by peer-reviewed research, analyzing the representation and impact of women in IR literature is essential.
This analysis investigates the presence and influence of female interventional radiologists, assessing their contributions to research through publications, citations, and grants over a 12-year period. The goal is to identify any gender-specific disparities and highlight trends that promote inclusivity within the field.
Women’s Representation in Interventional Radiology
Women made up 8.2% of the vascular and interventional radiology workforce, compared with 23.1% of the diagnostic radiology workforce, according to a workforce analysis. The share of female interventional radiology trainees nearly doubled from 10.5% in 2017 to 20.3% in 2021. More recent National Resident Matching Program data show women accounted for about 28.3% of interventional radiology applicants in 2025, up from 22.9% in 2022. Women nevertheless remained a minority of integrated IR trainees in the 2018–2019 through 2022–2023 academic years.
Quantifying Women's Impact: Publications, Citations, and Grants
A comprehensive analysis was conducted on 4,884 original, peer-reviewed articles from two leading IR journals between 2006 and 2017. The study meticulously gathered data on first and senior author gender, citation counts, and grant funding to assess female representation and impact.
- Male Dominance: 84% of first authors and 91.4% of senior authors were male.
- Positive Trend: Each year showed a 0.3%-0.4% increase in articles published by women.
- Collaboration: No significant difference was observed in author gender collaboration combinations.
- Impact: No difference was observed in citations or grants received between genders.
Research on Gender Disparity in Academic IR
A study of academic interventional radiologists in Germany describes a positive trend in women’s authorship over the last decade and suggests this may create an opportunity for IR research. Another study of radiology trainees reported a similar gender imbalance to prior research, with less than 10% of interventional radiologists being women and more men than women in its cohort. Research on industry relationships reports that women academic radiologists earn salaries similar to men, female IR physicians publish and earn grants in proportion to their numbers in the field, and they perform procedures of similar complexity. A 2026 review frames IR as a specialty with demanding on-call schedules and high procedural intensity, and notes its historically predominantly male workforce.
Looking Ahead: Encouraging Trends for Women in IR
This study confirms that women in academic IR are contributing significantly to the field, with proportional representation in publications, citations, and grants relative to their presence. The absence of collaborative or citation/grant discrimination underscores the inclusiveness of the academic IR community.
Role Models and Women’s Experiences
A survey-based article on women in interventional radiology reports that male IR physicians were the role models most frequently named by respondents. Almost one-third of women IR physicians, however, said they had a female interventional radiologist as a role model during training. The article describes survey findings alongside a narrative discussion of issues facing women in IR. The survey was conducted through a post on the Women in Interventional Radiology page of SIR Connect.
Representation and Leadership
A retrospective study analyzed speaker demographic data from Society of Interventional Radiology (SIR) and American Roentgen Ray Society (ARRS) annual meetings from 2019 through 2022. Researchers identified speaker gender using publicly available profiles, calculated the percentage of female speakers for each year, and used chi-squared tests to assess trend significance. A separate review identifies financial viability, collaboration, job satisfaction, and engagement as benefits organizations may gain from having more women in radiology. It also names lack of role models, limited time related to the “second shift,” and a confidence gap among barriers to increasing women’s leadership.
A Changing Trainee Landscape
Research on integrated interventional radiology examines changes in female representation over five years and compares trends with other surgical and radiology-based specialties. The study highlights integrated IR and situates its analysis against the specialty’s relative youth and rising trends in women attending medical school. A 2023 editorial describes IR as a rewarding specialty involving procedures performed through a pinhole, often using innovative technologies and devices for routine as well as critical, life-threatening conditions. It notes that most IR procedures are performed under local anesthesia.
The observed increases in female authorship over the study period point to a promising future for women in interventional radiology. These findings are especially encouraging for trainees and early-career professionals who may have considered the field’s gender disparities.
While this research focuses on academic contributions, further studies are needed to evaluate the representation of women in IR practice and leadership positions. Addressing any remaining disparities is essential to ensure a diverse and equitable future for interventional radiology.