Diversity of Physician Faculty in Obstetrics and Gynecology

To investigate physician faculty diversity in obstetrics and gynecology (ob-gyn) and how it compares with other clinical departments and medical student demographics.

Data from the Association of American Medical College's Faculty Roster were extracted to differentiate full-time physician faculty by gender and by underrepresentation in medicine (Black, Hispanic, Native American/ Alaskans, and Pacific Islanders). Whole population data were updated on a rolling basis from the earliest year of reliable data (1973) to the most recent year (2012).

The total number of full-time ob-gyn faculty increased from 922 in 1973 to 4,208 in 2012. The increase in proportion of faculty who were women (from 9.9% to 52.7%) contributed to the growth of underrepresented faculty (from 7.7% to 13.3%) during this period. Percentages of ob-gyn faculty who were women and underrepresented in 2012 were higher than in other core clinical departments and similar to those of current medical student matriculants.

Expansion of physician faculty in ob-gyn over the past 40 years has led to greater diversity than exists in many other departments and is more reflective of medical student demographics.