Faculty Collaboration Database

Trends in Racial and Ethnic Representation Among Neurosurgery Applicants and Residents: A Comparative Analysis of Procedural Specialties. World Neurosurg 2022 Jul;163:e177-e186

Date

04/19/2022

Pubmed ID

35436580

DOI

10.1016/j.wneu.2022.03.145

Scopus ID

2-s2.0-85129698602 (requires institutional sign-in at Scopus site)   2 Citations

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Diversity, equity, and inclusion within the healthcare workforce are conducive to providing culturally competent care. However, few existing studies have assessed the level of racial and ethnic diversity among resident physicians and residency applicants. Our objective was to provide a comparative analysis of the trends in racial and ethnic representation within different subspecialties in medicine.

METHODS: Using data from the American Association of Medical Colleges and the Journal of the American Medical Association, we evaluated the racial and ethnic identification of residency applicants and current residents in 9 procedural-focused specialties from 2005 to 2019 and performed a descriptive analysis to compare the different levels of racial and ethnic diversity in these specialties.

RESULTS: Among the specialties analyzed during the study period, neurosurgery had the greatest magnitude of differences between Black/African-American residency applicants and current residents. The percentage of Black/African-American applicants was 92% greater than that of Black/African-American residents (10% of applicants vs. 5.2% of residents). In contrast, the percentage of White neurosurgery residents was 17.6% greater than that of White neurosurgery applicants (53.9% of applicants vs. 63.4% of residents). Similar trends were noted in all the specialties evaluated. Obstetrics and gynecology demonstrated the least disparity between Black/African-American applicants and residents (13.7% of applicants vs. 10.2% of residents; 35.4% difference). Hispanic and Asian representation varied widely between specialties.

CONCLUSIONS: Among the surveyed specialties, neurosurgery demonstrated the greatest disparity between the percentage of Black/African-American residency applicants and current residents. To further drive progress in this domain, we advocate for a series of initiatives designed to increase underrepresented minority participation in neurosurgery practice and scholarship.

Author List

Caruso JP, Singh R, Mazzola C, Eldridge CM, Chilakapati S, Deme P, Swartz K, Schirmer CM, Huntoon K, Cheng J, Steinmetz M, Adogwa O

Author

Karin R. Swartz MD Assistant Dean, Professor in the Neurosurgery department at Medical College of Wisconsin

MESH terms used to index this publication - Major topics in bold

Female
Humans
Internship and Residency
Minority Groups
Neurosurgery
Pregnancy
United States