Examining gender and ethnic disparities in scientific authorship to promote a culture of equity, diversity and inclusion at a university school of public health

While fostering equity, diversity, and inclusion in the workplace is crucial for many reasons, in public health research, diverse perspectives are particularly vital to identify biases that homogenous teams might miss. Given that publication metrics often influence career progression, we investigated gender and ethnic disparities in publication rates within Imperial College Londons School of Public Health. We analysed 18,322 peer-reviewed publications by 513 affiliated researchers between 2014 and 2023. We used mixed-effects multivariable regression models to assess the impact of gender, ethnicity, and job level on publication rates. Network analysis of co-authorships was performed to evaluate each authors centrality in the departments research network. We found a persistent gender gap in publication rates across all job levels and ethnicities, with men publishing more than women (incidence rate ratio (IRR) 1.30 95% Confidence Interval (CI): 1.15 - 1.46). This disparity was present from early career levels and amplified in senior roles, where men were overrepresented (71.2% of men at Professor level). Internal collaboration rates were similar between genders. Unadjusted analyses indicated higher publication rates for white researchers (median of 1 publication more per person per year), although there were limitations in the ethnicity classification algorithm. The COVID-19 pandemic led to increased publication rates for both genders, but the gender gap persisted, with men publishing 1.27 (95% CI: 1.10 - 1.46) times more than women in 2020 - 2021. A complex interplay of factors may contribute to publication disparities, including differences in research contributions, systemic barriers, and potential biases in research allocation, mentorship, and promotion processes. This study underscores the need to identify and address the root causes of these disparities to foster an inclusive research environment where diverse contributions are recognized and valued.