An evaluation of programs designed to increase representation of diverse faculty at academic medical centers

Minority physicians have been persistently underrepresented in medicine (URiM) when compared with their representation in the general U.S.

There is evidence that diversifying the physician workforce would have a positive impact on healthcare delivery. While programs have been implemented to diversify the physician workforce, there has been less emphasis and progress in diversifying academic medical centers (AMCs) at the faculty level. This review sought to provide an update in the literature on the published outcomes and components of programs designed to increase the racial/ethnic diversity of faculty at AMCs.

A scoping review study design was used. Search terms-academic medical faculty, diversity, and recruitment or retention-were used to search literature published from August 2012 through February 4, 2021. Eligible studies (1) evaluate structured organization/institutional programs to increase the representation of faculty who identify as URiM; (2) include faculty who identify as URiM as defined by the Association of American Medical Colleges (individuals who identify as African Americans and/or Black, Hispanic/Latino, Native American (American Indians, Alaska Natives, and Native Hawaiians), Pacific Islander, and mainland Puerto Rican); (3) describe interventions for the academic medicine setting; and (4) report either quantitative or qualitative data.

Ten papers describing eight programs were included in the review. Program components were heterogeneous. Most studies described funded research-focused programs and fewer studies were institution-wide efforts or included institutional culture (i.e., rules, values, beliefs, behaviors, and customs that shape how people behave within an organization) or climate (i.e., perception regarding the culture) efforts. Four studies reported outcomes that included changes in faculty representation and six included faculty retention efforts such as promotion, leadership positions, grants, and scholarly productivity.

This review summarizes and updates the literature on programs to improve the diversity of faculty at AMCs. It includes specific recommendations for components that can provide a foundation for programs to improve faculty diversity. Future research should use high quality methods to compare different interventions to improve the diversity of faculty in AMCs.