Rationale: A medical student's career pathway is shaped by the type of degree he or she obtains. For example, those who receive a joint MD/PhD degree are significantly more likely than their medical school peers to pursue a career in academic medicine. Given that men and women follow different educational and career pathways, it is important to examine gender trends in types of medical degrees obtained. Over the past 20 years, the percentage of total MD degrees conferred that are granted to recipients of joint MD degrees has risen, from 3% in 1990-1991 to almost 10% in 2009-2010 (Figure 1). Over the same period, the percentage of joint MD degrees awarded to women rose from 32% to 44%. However, even taking into consideration the rise in the total number of medical school graduates who are women, men still outnumber women in most types of joint degrees conferred. Although there continues to be a wide gender gap in MD/PhD degrees, women received 39% percent of MD/PhDs conferred in 2009-2010 compared with 29% in 2000-2001 (Figure 2). In 2009-2010, the joint degrees with the highest representation of women were BA/MD, or BS/MD, and MD/MPH degrees (Figures 3 and 4).
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