Female US academic physicians are introduced as 'doctor' by male counterparts less often than are their male peers, and much less often than when introduced by female peers, a study finds (J. A. Files et al. J. Womens Health 26, 413–419; 2017). Physician Julia Files at Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale, Arizona, and her colleagues examined 321 video archives of talks made at two weekly medical meeting series between 2012 and 2014. All of the introducers and speakers had MD, PhD or MD-PhD degrees. The authors found that when men introduced women, they called her 'doctor' 49% of the time. They used the title 72% for men. Women used the title during 96% of their introductions, irrespective of gender; men used it 66% of the time. The authors warn that men's failure to use professional titles for women reinforces the perception that men are of higher status than women. “Women may benefit more from an external conferral of status through a title than men,” the authors say. “Women may suffer a greater loss of status when that title is withheld.” Such introductions may amplify the sense of marginalization and professional discomfort that female academic physicians have expressed, the authors say.