Women are mostly absent from cardiology journal leadership, suggests an analysis of editorial boards across all major cardiology journals in the U.S. and Europe.

Between 1998 and 2018, there were no women editors-in-chief for U.S. general cardiology journals and only one woman editor-in-chief for a general European cardiology journal, according to the findings led by Michigan Medicine C.S. Mott Children's Hospital.

The findings were published in Circulation.  

"The sex disparity in editorial boards across cardiology journals parallels the low representation of women in the cardiovascular medicine specialty," says lead author and pediatric cardiologist Sowmya Balasubramanian, M.D., M.Sc., of the Mott Congenital Heart Center.  

"This study highlights the need to address barriers in advancement for women in cardiology, engage more women early in their careers and create a robust pipeline of future women editors. Diversity in editorial boards not only improves the societal relevance and quality of the journal but can also provide women role models for future generations."

Paper cited: "Women Representation Among Cardiology Journal Editorial Boards," Circulation. DOI: 10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.119.042909