How To Increase Diversity on the Podium
Who is presenting matters; it shapes the profession and the aspirations of trainees.
Melissa Yuan, MD; Eugenia C. Greig, MD; and Carolyn K. Pan, MD
Retina Today 
Key Takeaways From 2015 to 2019, women filled 22.1% of faculty positions at retina meetings. As of 2025, women comprised 36.6% of meeting faculty, representing meaningful progress toward proportional representation. Meetings with at least one woman on the program committee are significantly more likely to include female non-paper presenters, moderators or panelists, and total women faculty. Patients from underserved backgrounds are more likely to seek care from providers that share a similar culture, and providers from underserved backgrounds are more likely to serve the communities they represent. Diverse representation in leadership roles enriches scientific discourse, challenges assumptions, and delivers equitable patient care. The composition of speakers, moderators, and panelists at medical conferences serves as both a mirror and a catalyst for our specialty. These visible leadership roles reflect who holds influence in the field and shape the aspirations of trainees and early-career ophthalmologists. In retina, as in many specialties, achieving representative diversity on the podium and in the field has been a slow journey.1 However, recent data suggest we may be reaching an inflection point. CLOSING THE GAP WITH INTENTION Based on the current American Society of Retina Specialists (ASRS) membership data, women represent approximately 20% of regular ASRS members.2 A comprehensive analysis of retina meetings from 2015 to 2019 by Sridhar et al examined 4,521 faculty roles and found that women filled 22.1% of those positions, with a significant increase within those years.3 We reviewed recent data from retina meetings in 2025 to provide a present-day snapshot and determine if the number of women on the podium has continued to grow. The meetings included in this analysis were AAO Retina Subspecialty Day, ASRS, Retina Society, Macula Society, Vit-Buckle Society, Aspen Retinal Detachment Society (note that ARDS 2024 data is used instead of 2025, as the 2025 meeting minutes were not yet available).