Programmatic engagement in diversity, equity, and inclusion in U.S. vascular surgery training programs

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Surgical Training
• Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI)

Background:

• Academic medical centers face increasing calls to enhance diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI).
• Traditional measures of DEI based on protected categories have limitations in reflecting organizational engagement.
• The Diversity and Engagement Survey (DES) is a validated instrument for assessing DEI integration in academic medical centers.

Purpose of the Study:

• To utilize the DES to assess DEI in vascular surgery training programs.
• To identify predictors of low DEI within these programs.

Main Methods:

• An anonymous electronic survey was distributed to 280 vascular surgery program directors and assistant program directors in the U.S.
• The survey included demographic information, program details, and the DES instrument.
• Institutions were categorized as low or high DEI based on DES scores (bottom 25% vs. higher).
• Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed to identify significant predictors of DEI status.

Main Results:

• A total of 102 (36.4%) responses were analyzed.
• Respondents in low DEI institutions were significantly more likely to report experiencing discrimination (71% vs. 11%).
• Non-male gender (OR 5.10) and experiences of discrimination (OR 6.51) were significantly associated with low DEI institutions.

Conclusions:

• Non-male program directors are more likely to perceive their institutions as having low DEI.
• Experiencing discrimination within an institution is a strong predictor of low DEI.
• These findings highlight the need to address systemic issues impacting DEI in surgical training programs.