100 Best Spine Surgeons in America...What gives?!

This is cross-posted with my other blog.  Cheers!

The internal page for "my" college is boasting the inclusion of one of our faculty members on the recently released list of the "100 Best Spine Surgeons in America" by Becker's Orthopaedic and Spine Review. I was interested in which instiutions hosted the other 99 best spine surgeons, so I checked out the list myself. After getting about halfway down the page, scrolled back up, then began counting to confirm a feared conclusion: of the 100 "best" spine surgeons in this country, just 2 of them are female. I was dumbfounded--particularly as medical school classes are reporting higher and higher numbers of female entrants and applicants. And while I may have subconsciously expected a male-majority on the aforementioned list, the 98% figure was astonishing.

 

It's unclear where such a gender bias originates. I'd be willing to bet that of all the spine specialists in the united states, far more than 2% of them are women--which would rule out a representitive proportionality on the list. The site for the list reports:

"Physicians included in this list have been selected based on surveys, research and nominations. All physicians who are placed on the list undergo a substantial review with other peers and through our own research."

To me, this seems like odd selection criteria for surgeons. I suppose what really must be addressed first is the question: what makes a great spine surgeon? I would imagine it would depend on who you ask. Patients might value bedside manner and intrapersonal interactions. Other physicians and hospital administrators might value a colleague who is easy to work with and yields good patient outcomes, or a surgeon who takes on challenging cases. An insurance company might value surgeons with the most cost-effective outcomes, and those who report minimal "relapses." So the notion of an objective survey truely assessing the BEST spinal surgeons in the country is questionable, at best. Research and nominations also seem to depend on who is doing the nominating. It's also important to realize that the subtitle for Becker's Review is "Business and Legal Issues for Orthopaedic and Spine Practices."

Ultimately, I cannot answer whether the list is biased or not, only raise question with the striking minority of female surgeons.



Survived another October

I made it through another breast cancer awareness month. I'm so glad October is over because I don't have to see another "pink ribbon" bagel at Sparty's. Yes, it's a cranberry bagel twisted into a ribbon shape.

What began as a an educational and empowering strategy to address a taboo subject has mutated into vulgar, sexualized and demeaning attitudes about women's bodies. T-shirts with vulgar phrases and cheeky innuendo are okay if we claim it's for "breast cancer awareness", right? Wrong. It just show again that women's bodies only matter when they're sexualized, sadly. How insulting to frame a serious illness only in terms sexuality.

It's also morphed into consuming activism. Buying stuff that makes you feel like you did something good. No, it doesn't do anything good because next to nil of the profits will actually be donated to breast cancer research or advocacy or whatever.

Great combination of the two: Kroger was selling breast cancer awareness pink ribbon sliced turkey breast. You know you're not eating the mammary gland of the turkey, right?!

Considering performing breast self-exams, though I don't believe the literature shows it reduces breast cancer mortality. But it's certainly better than declaring where you like to put your purse or have sex, whatever that facebook meme was supposed to mean.

Suggested reading:
Pink Ribbon Blues: How Breast Cancer Culture Undermines Women's Health
Gayle Sulik