SNIS Statement Supports Pregnancy and Parental Family Leave Policies

December 1, 2022—The Society of NeuroInterventional Surgery (SNIS) announced the publication of a statement in support of pregnancy and parental leave policies for neurointerventionalists who are birthing or nonbirthing parents including those who adopt, foster, and the like.

As stated in the press release, SNIS believes that these individuals should not be penalized in any way, and that legal and regulatory mandates and family-friendly workplace policies should be considered when institutions and individual practitioners approach the issue of childbearing in the context of a career in neurointerventional surgery.

The statement by Amanda Baker, MD, et al is available online ahead of print in Journal of NeuroInterventional Surgery (JNIS). It was developed by SNIS’s Women in Neurointervention Committee, the Standards and Guidelines Committee, and the SNIS Board of Directors.

According to SNIS, Dr. Baker, who a neurointerventionalist and SNIS member, led a structured literature review with her peers regarding parental leave policies in neurointerventional surgery and related arenas. The investigators evaluated a 2019 survey of neurointerventionalists in the field that included proposed changes to reduce barriers for women and parents pursuing family life, as well as addressing concerns regarding radiation exposure.

Dr. Baker commented in the SNIS press release, “We are grateful to the leadership of SNIS and the JNIS for supporting all people—all families—in this amazing field. I would like to personally thank University of California, San Francisco’s Neuroendovascular Surgery program for training me as their second female and first pregnant neurointerventionalist.”

SNIS President J Mocco, MD, added, “SNIS believes people shouldn’t have to choose between a fulfilling family life or professional career, especially when the nature and urgency of neurointerventional treatments require emotional, physical, and mental demands on every person at each experience level. Things like allowing flexibility for scheduling prenatal appointments, to not penalizing those who use family leave, are vital and will have lifelong benefits to those in neurointerventional surgery and their families. We want our practitioners to know that we do not believe taking time for family needs is a lack of commitment to the profession.” Dr. Mocco is Kalmon D. Post Professor of Neurosurgery at the Icahn School of Medicine and Director of the Cerebrovascular Center at Mount Sinai in New York, New York.

Other recommendations from SNIS include making the use of vacation time flexible for those undergoing family planning methods or procedures, particularly within training programs. They also believe Fellowship training, career promotion, and job security should be maintained during the process of starting a family.