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The current and future need for minority medical faculty
D L Harris1, F Mullan, C E Simpson
1Bureau of Health Professions, Health Resources and Services Administration, US Department of Health and Human Services, Rockville, Maryland 20857.
Journal of the Association for Academic Minority Physicians : the Official Publication of the Association for Academic Minority Physicians
|January 11, 1991
Summary
Minority faculty in US medical schools remain underrepresented, increasing only slightly from 1975-1989. Addressing barriers like inadequate counseling and lack of mentors is crucial for increasing diversity in academic medicine.
Area of Science:
- Medical Education
- Health Workforce Diversity
- Academic Medicine
Background:
- Underrepresented minority (URM) faculty in US medical schools saw minimal growth (0.3%) between 1975 and 1989, reaching only 3.0%.
- URM physicians represent only 3% African-American and 3% Hispanic, significantly lower than their ~12% and ~7% representation in the general US population.
- Persistent underrepresentation is linked to issues including inadequate career guidance, admissions barriers, high attrition, educational costs, and insufficient mentorship.
Purpose of the Study:
- To highlight the stagnation in URM faculty numbers in US medical schools.
- To identify key factors contributing to the underrepresentation of minority health professionals in academic careers.
- To emphasize the need for targeted interventions to improve diversity in medical faculties.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of faculty demographic data from US medical schools over a 15-year period (1975-1989).
- Review of contributing factors to underrepresentation in health professions.
- Identification of strategies to promote minority participation in academic medicine.
Main Results:
- A marginal increase of 0.3% in underrepresented minority medical faculty was observed from 1975 to 1989.
- Significant disparities persist between the proportion of URM physicians and their representation in the general population.
- Multiple systemic and individual-level barriers impede minority student progression into academic medical careers.
Conclusions:
- Substantial systemic changes are required to increase the number of underrepresented minority faculty in US medical schools.
- Interventions must address the entire educational pipeline, from recruitment to retention, providing necessary support and opportunities.
- Institutional commitment and external funding are essential to foster minority participation in academic medicine and achieve greater workforce diversity.