As more fellows seek pregnancy or are of childbearing age, it may be crucial to reduce obstacles and increase society and program leadership of physicians to mentor and guide women to successful careers, according to a "Voice of Cardiology" viewpoint article in the second issue of JACC: Case Reports.

Estefania Oliveros, MD, et al., explain how there is a lack of defined guidelines for the complex scenario of pregnancy during medical training. They note that the need for an open discussion and normalization of parenthood will allow the profession to continue to recruit and support female fellows.

"It is time to bring down barriers to sex equality in cardiology training," the authors write. "This issue of wellbeing affects both sexes in our community and commands attention."

Another viewpoint article points out that there is no uniformity in how fellows are counseled and helped by program directors, as well as the educational system at large, regarding pregnancy, lactation and parenthood. Lisa J. Rose-Jones, MD, FACC, and Chittur A. Sivaram, MBBS, FACC, note that while the field of cardiology has been trying to reduce and abolish sex disparities among the profession, there is still a need to challenge the community of educators to assist physicians to do better.

The authors also explain that pregnancy, lactation and parenthood in cardiovascular fellowship training involves even more challenges than other residencies and fellowships, including the inherent intensity of cardiology training and potential for exposure to radiation.

"Although there are multiple stakeholders and considerations involved when implementing and supporting a unified action plan for parental leave for our cardiology fellowship trainees, we have no doubt that program directors, along with the ACC, can be strong voices in this overdue endeavor," the authors conclude.

Keywords: Fellowships and Scholarships, Internship and Residency, Mentors, Leadership, Parental Leave, Training Support, Cardiology, Physicians, Breast Feeding, Lactation

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