6ER-025 Women in focus: female representation in hospital pharmacy conferences

<h3>Background and Importance</h3> Although 74% of the Spanish Society of Hospital Pharmacy (SEFH) members and 75.6% of practicing hospital pharmacists are women, female representation in leadership positions is in decline: 66% of department heads, 63% of working group coordinators, and 55% of SEFH board members. <h3>Aim and Objectives</h3> This study aims to evaluate the representation of women in SEFH congresses to understand their visibility in hospital pharmacy and explore trends over time. <h3>Material and Methods</h3> A multidisciplinary, retrospective, observational study analysed SEFH congress committees and presentations from 2015 to 2023. Industry-sponsored symposia and pharmacy technician workshops were excluded. Data were extracted from official congress websites and programs using REDCap. Variables recorded included gender, role (speaker or moderator), session type (working groups, plenaries, symposia, expert meetings), and whether participants were hospital pharmacy specialists or external speakers (e.g., medical staff, patients, consultants, academics). Pearson’s Chi-squared test was applied (SPSS Statistics v26.0). A sub-analysis compared two periods: before (2015–2019) and after (2020–2023) a woman held the SEFH presidency. <h3>Results</h3> Female representation on committees was 63.8%, and 57.2% of the 935 recorded presentations were given by women. The proportion of female participation by year ranged from 38.3% in 2017 to 72.7% in 2020. A significant association was found between gender and session type, with more women in working group sessions (45.5% vs. 33.9% for men, p&lt;0.001), and between gender and speaker origin (13.3% vs. 21.6% for men as external speakers, p=0.001). No significant differences were found for gender and role (speaker or moderator). In 2015–2019, women made up 54.7% of presenters and 57.7% of committee members. A significant relationship was found between gender and session type (33.8% of women vs. 24.1% of men in working groups, p=0.007) and speaker origin (12.5% of women vs. 23.1% of men as external speakers, p&lt;0.001). In 2020–2023, these proportions increased to 62.8% and 74.2%, respectively, with no significant differences across variables. <h3>Conclusion and Relevance</h3> Although female participation in SEFH congresses is increasing, it remains below their overall membership proportion. Greater visibility of women in academic and scientific events, especially in a female-dominated field like hospital pharmacy, is essential to promote their recognition as experts and encourage future generations to pursue leadership roles. <h3>References and/or Acknowledgements</h3> <h3>Conflict of Interest</h3> No conflict of interest