While female representation in orthopedics is still behind other fields in the healthcare industry, Nicole Lopez, MD, is hopeful for the future of increased representation.
The number of female orthopedic surgeons entering the field grew by less than 2% between 2018 and 2023, according to data from the American Academy of Orthopaedics Surgeons. In 2023, women represented about 7% of the orthopedic surgeon population.
Dr. Lopez has seen meaningful growth and changes in her time in orthopedics, even if there are still a number of areas for improvement.
Dr. Lopez is chief of orthopedic hand surgery at Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center in Livingston, N.J. She recently connected with Becker’s to discuss the importance of diversity in orthopedics and how leaders can better support female surgeons.
Note: Responses were lightly edited for clarity and length.
Question: Have you seen any meaningful progress in terms of gender diversity and equity since entering the field?
Dr. Nicole Lopez: We’re working on it, and I think, as a field, we are aware of where we stand nationally, in regards to the percentage of orthopedic surgeons who are female. There are some pushes being made. I think there is still a little bit of fear on the part of the applicants, so we don’t get as many. We get female applicants, but I think we could get more. One thing that I’ve heard the most is people, women, in particular, who are not in orthopedics, will tell other women, or female medical students that they really shouldn’t go into orthopedics because it’s really a boys club. If you talk to the women who are in orthopedics, they’ll tell you that it’s amazing.
I think we are making strides towards diversifying the field. I’ve seen more women, I’ve seen more underrepresented minorities, and that’s delightful. Our patients do better when they have someone they relate to. If we diversify our field, we can improve our patient outcomes. All of the initiatives that are being taken seriously, not just by women, not just by underrepresented minorities themselves, but by advocates for them, makes for an exciting time to be a part of orthopedics.
Q: What are some of the other barriers that still exist?
NL: One of the major ones is lack of representation. It’s a little bit more complicated and a little bit more difficult to navigate your way through if you don’t have many other people who have done that path before. It’s also really hard when the number of people who are available to give guidance about what their path was into your career of choice is a bit limited.
I think we’re addressing that through organizations like the Ruth Jackson Orthopaedic Society and the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. I think AAOS is making a big push with students to change that perspective. We have a lot of orthopedic females who are on our panels and presenting at the podium. Representation is changing, and that’s a positive thing. I know that I’m not the only one who makes myself endlessly and tirelessly available to basically any female student who has any questions or concerns. Just having someone available to have those conversations makes a really big difference in terms of how successful a female candidate is at becoming an orthopedist.
Q: How else can leaders and surgeons support women who want to enter the orthopedic industry?
NL: Believe in them that they are able to do this. Just because we are not as tall or big doesn’t mean we can’t reduce the pelvis or reduce the hip. We can do it. We just have to do it using physics and mechanics as opposed to force. Sometimes men and women tend to naturally kind of separate when it comes to the socialization side of things. It’s important to include your women in those outings and allow them to be part of the team, as an equal but slightly different member of the group.
There are a lot of things that the industry can do. Some of the instruments that we use are built and modeled around men’s hands. Our hands are a little bit smaller, a little bit different, and it’s a little bit frustrating that at this point there aren’t more tools designed for women. Another example is getting lead aprons that properly fit us. That typically gets ordered universally or for the main population, which is male. Just avoidable things that should be taken into account.
Q: What advice would you give to women who want to pursue a career in orthopedics?
NL: One thing that I would say to anyone applying to orthopedics, especially women, is you have to find your own tribe. Not every group is going to be as warm and welcoming. If it doesn’t feel like you have found them, keep searching because you will. There are advocates and there are people who want to see us grow and change and evolve as a whole in orthopedics. There are other people who don’t, and the people who don’t are not worthy of our time or our interest. There’s a home for every single person who has trained to be an orthopedic surgeon. You just have to kind of keep pushing until you find where you are meant to land.
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