Diversity Goals Not Met for Pediatric Academic Faculty in the U.S.

TUESDAY, Aug. 23, 2022 (HealthDay News) — An increase in the percentage of underrepresented in medicine (URiM) pediatric academic faculty was seen in the last 20 years, with the increase primarily driven by female representation, according to a study published online Aug. 23 in Pediatrics.

Emma A. Omoruyi, M.D., M.P.H., from the McGovern Medical School at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, and colleagues examined pediatric faculty diversity trends and compared racial/ethnic representation between pediatric faculty and the U.S. population in a repeat cross-sectional study of the Association of American Medical Colleges Faculty Roster from 2000 to 2020.

The researchers found that at all ranks, trends in URiM increased significantly (+3.5, +3.0, and +2.5 percent for professor, associate professor, and assistant professor, respectively). There was no change in URiM male representation, while trends in URiM female representation increased significantly (+3.4 percent). Significantly decreased representation was seen for African American/Black men at the associate and assistant professor levels (−0.4 and −0.6 percent, respectively) and for American Indian/Alaska Native men at the assistant professor rank (−0.1 percent). Compared with 2020 U.S. overall and longitudinal child population representation, the percentage of URiM pediatric faculty representation was considerably lower.

“The stagnation of URiM male representation and lack of faculty diversity reflective of the U.S. population may have a critical impact on the field of pediatrics’ ability to recruit and retain a diverse workforce and promote equitable care,” the authors write.

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