Neha Vapiwala, MD, FACR, FASTRO, Professor and Vice Chair of Education, Radiation Oncology, Associate Dean of Admissions, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania speaks about The New England Journal of Medicine – Intersectional Analysis of U.S. Medical Faculty Diversity over Four Decades.
Outline
According to the 2020 U.S. Census data, the United States’ population is quickly diversifying. We wanted to see if clinical faculty and leadership representation at academic medical schools reflects the changing demographics of the population. Using data from the Association of American Medical Colleges from 1977 to 2019, we discovered significant progress in female representation among clinical faculty, but less so among department heads and medical school deans. Underrepresented racial and ethnic groups in medicine are identified as such because their participation in the medical profession is disproportionate to U.S. Census data. Even when this underrepresentation is taken into consideration, clinical faculty and leadership positions show even more glaring discrepancies. Policy implementation that is well-thought-out could assist alleviate the continuing underrepresentation of women in medical school faculty and leadership positions.