Membership Trends in the Academic Pediatric Association From 2009 to 2018

To describe changes in the racial and ethnic diversity of the membership of a national academic health professional organization, the Academic Pediatric Association (APA) from 2009 to 2018.

Administrative data from the APA was used for the study. Our sample was limited to dues-paying members of the APA with complete profile information. Data on race/ethnicity was collected by self-report and categorized as White, Hispanic, Black, Asian, or other. Gender was obtained by self-report (male/female). Membership type included physician, non-physician, or trainee and was provided by self-report. Age was calculated by subtracting the dues year from the year of birth. Descriptive statistics were used. Log-linear models were used to describe changes in membership race/ethnicity and expressed as relative risk.

Three thousand one hundred and ninety-six unique individuals were included. Enrollment in the APA increased from 1429 in 2009 to 1803 in 2018. Females represented 68% of the sample. Six percent of the sample identified as Black, 5% as Hispanic, 12% as Asian, and 74% as White. Using log-linear models, the proportion of members identifying as Black increased from 4% to 6% (P < .001), Asian 8% to 13% (P < .001) and Hispanic increased 4% to 5% (P = .17).

The APA has increased the representation of underrepresented racial and ethnic minorities in medicine within its membership. The APA and other academic pediatric professional organizations, can build on these current trends by continuing to invest in programming focused on increasing racial/ethnic minority groups underrepresented in medicine.