To assess the progress in gender equality within the United States pharmacy academia following the prior assessments published in 2004 and 2014.Information was collected from public national datasets, proprietary databases of the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP), minutes from AACP meetings, published documents, journal articles, websites of pharmacy organizations, websites of individual institutions, and LinkedIn profiles. Gender comparisons between males and females were conducted regarding degree attainment, academic disciplines, faculty ranks, tenure, research funding, leadership training, administrative roles, compensation, and major professional honors. These findings were also contrasted with those in academic medicine and dentistry. Women comprise 51% of full-time faculty across all pharmacy academic fields. The proportion of women holding the rank of full professor reached 36.6%, up from 25% in 2014. Among 2992 faculty on tenure-track or tenured positions, 39.2% were female. Of 388 department chair positions, 146 were occupied by women. From 2014 to 2021, there were 121 permanent dean appointments at the chief executive level, with males appointed to 91 (75.2%) and females to 30 (24.8%). Females obtained 29.7% of NIH grants awarded to pharmacy institutions (versus 70.3% for males), though the total funding secured by women exceeded that of men. In pharmacy practice as well as in the basic science disciplines, average salaries across all ranks and experience levels were significantly greater for men than for women, including among department chairs; however, no salary gap existed for dean positions. Overall, women have been recipients of only 13% of the premier 13 awards from four major national pharmacy organizations. Progress has been made in closing certain disparities since 2014, yet persistent issues remain that require ongoing efforts and investment to achieve full equity. Female faculty in pharmacy academia require sustained mentorship and resources across their entire professional careers, particularly in promotion, grant writing, salary discussions, pursuing leadership roles, and nominations for awards.
