MedChi Gender Pay Equity Subcommittee
Carolyn O'Conor, M.D.
Former MCMS President
Chair, MedChi Gender Pay Equity Subcommittee
It is better to light a candle than to curse the darkness
If you are a regular reader of the MCMS Gazette you will have seen the issue on September 13 in honor of Women in Medicine Month. The lead article focused on the physician gender pay gap. Data from MedChi’s own Maryland physician salary surveys show a persistent pay gap for female physicians compared to their male counterparts. The disparity persists even after correcting for a host of variables. It also defies easy solutions.
If this inequity makes you as angry, as it does me, please consider joining the Gender Pay Equity Subcommittee. Created in October 2021, we are a subcommittee of MedChi’s IDEA Council. Our purpose is to seek remedies for this age-old injustice.
I am grateful to MCMS and MedChi Past President Dr. Shannon Pryor for her commitment to the committee from the very beginning. Other regular members who hail from other components include MedChi Past President Dr. Padmini Ranasinghe and board member Dr. Robin Motter-Mast.
Thus far, the subcommittee has hosted two webinars which were made available to all physicians-whether MedChi members or not. The first of these highly informative events, “Mastering Contract Negotiations for Women Physicians”, took place in June 2024. “Closing the Gap: Empowering Female Physicians and Advancing Transparency” was offered in November 2025. Both highlighted practical advice for physicians seeking to be paid what they deserve.
A scientific paper, “The physician gender pay gap in Maryland: current state and future directions”, published in Annals of Medicine in 2023, was co-authored by members of the subcommittee. The data was from the 2017 and 2021 Maryland Physician Compensation surveys.
A resolution adopted by the MedChi HOD in October 2023 was introduced by the Gender Pay Equity subcommittee. The resulting MedChi policy supports advocating for Maryland Equal Pay for Equal Work Act. That support would include limited liability protections for employers voluntarily undertaking pay equity evaluations and making good faith efforts to correct income disparities based on gender.
As you can see, we’ve been busy.
Next up will be a networking event at the MedChi Museum in Baltimore on Wednesday January 27, 2027. I know it will be cold and dark in the dead of winter-why not join us that evening “to light a candle” for women physicians throughout Maryland and beyond!
More information about the event and registration in the coming months.
In the meantime, please join our subcommittee! We need fresh perspectives and new ideas if we are to pursue our mission to promote equitable pay for all physicians.
Join me and let’s stop cursing the darkness!
