Stalled Progress: Medical School Dean Demographics.

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Academic Medicine
• Health Workforce Diversity

Background:

• Medical schools face challenges including physician shortages, under-represented faculty attrition, and low female leadership representation.
• Diversity initiatives in medical school admissions are not reflected in senior faculty demographics.
• Leadership diversity is crucial for addressing systemic issues in academic medicine.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze the demographics of medical school deans in 2019.
• To compare dean demographics with the overall US physician population and general US demographics.
• To highlight the need for greater diversity in medical school leadership.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of medical school dean demographics (specialty, race/ethnicity, gender) in 2019.
• Comparison of dean data with national physician and US population demographics.
• Perspective piece based on data analysis.

Main Results:

• In 2019, only 11% of deans were under-represented minorities.
• Primary care physicians comprised 16% of deans.
• Women represented 18% of deans.
• These figures are unrepresentative of national demographics for physicians and the general population.

Conclusions:

• Hiring deans with diverse race/ethnicities, specialties, and genders is essential.
• Increased leadership diversity can foster pipeline programs and improve faculty retention.
• Promoting diversity in deanships can help address the primary care physician shortage.