Four of the six positions available in the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery’s program went to women. In the past, only two female residents have ever matched into the program in the same year.
Having more than half the residency class identify as female is especially significant considering that, nationally, only 16 percent of all orthopaedic surgery residents are women, said Brian Mullis, MD, the department’s residency program director.
There has long been a gender gap within the orthopaedic specialty: a 2019 survey from the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons showed that, of the nearly 30,000 orthopaedic surgeons who participated, just 6.5 percent were women. (An additional 0.1 percent chose not to identify their gender in the survey.)
For its part, IU School of Medicine Department of Orthopaedic Surgery has worked hard to combat this disparity in its own workforce by making every effort to diversify, Mullis said.
“This shows program leadership and our department DEI committee are working in unison to make sure everyone feels welcome,” Mullis said. “We have intentionally increased our efforts to improve our diversity and inclusion but still have further work to do to continue making gains in this area.”
The new class of PGY1 residents joining the program in July are:
Priyanka Ghosh from Indiana University School of Medicine
Zachary Gunderson from Indiana University School of Medicine
Paris Limberatos from Saint Louis University School of Medicine
Andrea Palazzolo Ray from University of Illinois College of Medicine
Seungyup Sun from Indiana University School of Medicine
Allison Wintring from University of Louisville School of Medicine
Allison Wintring will be the first woman to participate in the department’s research residency track.
While clinical track residents join the department for five years, the research-track resident commits to six years of training – one of which is spent entirely in a laboratory setting.
After completing PGY2 training, the research-track resident splits from their class to conduct one year of basic science research. They then resume clinical training as a PGY3 once that work is complete.
Wintring will be the fifth trainee to take part in the department’s research track.
