Association of oncology education through virtual engagement with gender and geographic disparities: A global longitudinal analysis (2022–2025).

Abstract

325 Background: Persistent gender disparities in academic visibility and leadership continue to limit equity in global oncology. Traditional conference models often impose geographic and financial barriers that disproportionately affect women and professionals from low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). The expansion of virtual education platforms offers a scalable opportunity to democratize access and amplify diverse voices. This study evaluated longitudinal trends in gender representation, engagement, and regional inclusivity across an international virtual oncology education consortium from January 2022 through December 2025. Methods: A retrospective longitudinal analysis was conducted on all keynote and spotlight sessions hosted between January 2022 and December 2025. Speaker demographics—including gender, specialty, academic affiliation, and geographic origin—were collected from institutional and publicly available records. Engagement metrics were obtained from multi-platform analytics (Twitter/X, LinkedIn, and YouTube) and analyzed using Symplur network analysis to assess dissemination reach, cross-disciplinary engagement, and geographic spread. Temporal trends in gender parity and LMIC representation were evaluated using descriptive statistics. Results: Over the four-year period, the program hosted more than 120 international oncology speakers across 150 sessions. Female representation increased from 38% in 2022 to 51% by 2024, achieving gender parity. Representation of women from LMICs rose from 12% to 28%, with notable increases from South Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East. Improvements were most pronounced in hematologic malignancies (+24%) and leadership and education-focused panels (+30%). Cumulative engagement exceeded 100 million impressions and 740,000 participants spanning 100 countries, including 44 LMICs. Engagement metrics did not differ by speaker gender (median impressions: 1.2 million vs. 1.1 million; p = 0.42). Network analysis demonstrated equitable amplification of sessions featuring women across interdisciplinary and geographic boundaries. Conclusions: This four-year global analysis demonstrates that structured virtual oncology education can reduce gender and geographic disparities in academic representation. Low-cost, borderless dissemination models can promote inclusive leadership visibility and expand participation from underrepresented regions. Virtual academic networks may complement traditional conferences and serve as scalable mechanisms to advance equity, collaboration, and capacity building in global cancer care.