Racial Diversity Among American Cardiologists: Implications for the Past, Present, and Future
Amber E Johnson1,2, Mehret Birru Talabi1, Eliana Bonifacino1
1School of Medicine (A.E.J., M.B.T., E.B., A.J.C., E.M.D., P.K.D., L.M.D.C., U.R.E., A.M.G., M.V.H., A.J.J., C.R.J., N.L.J., L.M., M.A.N., G.S.N., O.O., S.O.-A., A.J.C.S., T.L.S., O.T., R.T., E.U., J.D.W., J.E.S.-P.).
Circulation
|June 14, 2021
Summary
Racial disparities in cardiovascular disease care persist in the US. Increasing diversity in the cardiology workforce can improve care quality and research outcomes for all patients.
Area of Science:
- Cardiovascular Medicine
- Health Equity
- Medical Workforce Diversity
Background:
- Significant race-based disparities exist in US cardiovascular disease (CVD) care.
- Minority populations, including African American/Black, Hispanic/Latinx, and Native/Indigenous Americans, face higher CVD risks and receive lower-quality care.
- The current US cardiovascular workforce lacks racial diversity, not reflecting the nation's population.
Purpose of the Study:
- To highlight the impact of racial disparities in cardiovascular care.
- To emphasize the link between workforce diversity and healthcare/research quality.
- To propose strategies for enhancing racial diversity in cardiology.
Main Methods:
- Review of existing data on race-based disparities in cardiovascular care.
- Analysis of the association between physician racial background and care quality.
- Examination of the relationship between academic team diversity and research quality.
- Identification of barriers to workforce diversity.
Main Results:
- Care provided by racially diverse physicians is linked to improved quality for both minority and majority patients.
- Racial diversity in academic teams and research settings correlates with enhanced research quality.
- Barriers to achieving workforce diversity have been documented.
Conclusions:
- Enhancing racial diversity in the cardiology workforce is crucial for improving cardiovascular health equity.
- Strategies should focus on recruitment, retention, and addressing systemic barriers.
- The findings are relevant to academic, nonacademic, and community healthcare settings.
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