Perception of Lactation Experience Among Neurology Faculty and Impact on Productivity
Cynthia Zheng1, Sarah Durica2, Christa O'hana Nobleza3, Neishay Ayub4, Parneet Grewal5, Jane Allendorfer6, Seema Nagpal7, Natasha Frost8, Halley Alexander9, Sasha Alick-Lindstrom10, Alyssa Westring11, Suma Shah12, Padmaja Sudhakar13, Myriam Abdennadher14, Kamala Rodrigues15, Doris Kung16, Nancy Foldvary-Schaefer17, Sol De Jesus18, Deborah Bradshaw19, Jesse Miller20, Sima Patel21
1University of Minnesota Medical School, 2The University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, 3University of Tennessee Health Science Center/Baptist Medical Group, 4Brown Neurology, 5Medical University of South Carolina, 6U of Alabama At Birmingham, Neurology, 7Stanford Cancer Center, 8University of Wisconsin Department of Neurology, 9Wake Forest Baptsit Health, 10UT Southwestern Medical Center, 11DePaul University, 12Duke University Medical Center, 13Kentucky Neuroscience Institute and Department of Neurology, 14Boston University School of Medicine/Boston Medical Center, 15Stanford Medicine, 16Baylor College of Medicine, 17Cleveland Clinic, 18Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, 19SUNY Upstate Medical University, 20University of Minnesota, 21UMP
Objective:
We investigated the perception of lactation experience at work and the relationship between taking lactation time at work and academic productivity among neurology women faculty.
Background:
Lactation time is vital to breastfeeding success, yet lactation policies within the medical profession remain inconsistent. There is limited research on the lactation experience of neurologists and the impact of lactation time on academic productivity.
Design/Methods:
We conducted a subanalysis of a cross-sectional study utilizing a standardized survey administered to faculty members in neurology departments across nineteen US academic institutions. Included faculty self-identified as women mothers and answered questions about breastfeeding/pumping at work. Demographic information; academic productivity measures including number of publications, presentations, and awards; and perception of lactation experience were collected.
Results:
Among 162 included respondents, 135 took lactation time at work and 27 did not, 88% were in marital/long-term relationships, and 49% were assistant professors. Respondents had an average of 14.2 years since highest degree. Women who did and did not take lactation time did not differ in academic productivity (p=0.782). 62% reported clinical time was not blocked to accommodate lactation efforts, 73% reported clinical relative value units (RVU) were unadjusted for lactation time, 59% reported lactation time was uncompensated, and 43% reported lack of access to private lactation space. Only 30% of respondents felt supported in their lactation efforts by their employer and 34% felt satisfied with their overall lactation experience.
Conclusions:
Academic neurology women that took lactation time reported equal long-term academic productivity compared to those who did not. However, most people were not provided clinical time or RVU adjustments to compensate for lactation time, and perceptions of employer support for lactation and satisfaction with lactation experience were low. Future studies are needed to define best practices to support lactating faculty.