Mitigating the Isolation of Minoritized Faculty in Academic Medicine

Increasing numbers of faculty who are underrepresented in medicine has been a focus of academic health systems. Understanding the experiences of these faculty helps in creating environments that are inclusive and supportive, promoting faculty success. When compared with non-minoritized faculty, minoritized faculty face racism, isolation, diversity efforts disparities, clinical efforts disparities, lack of faculty development, and promotion disparities. While there have been contributions to the literature to better characterize disparities faced by minoritized faculty, little has been written about isolation. Isolation occurs when faculty underrepresented in medicine do not feel like part of the department or institution. They may feel excluded from mainstream culture as if they are invisible. They may be excluded from conversations, group chats, get togethers, or other work-related or social functions. These feelings can manifest as imposter syndrome and impact work performance and decision-making. In this article, the author shares how to recognize and mitigate isolation to promote an inclusive environment for all faculty.