Operation Diversify Plastic Surgery: An Innovative Strategy to Increase Diversity in Plastic and Reconstructive...

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Surgical Workforce Diversity
• Health Equity

Background:

• Healthcare disparities are a significant issue in the US, with persistent racial and ethnic inequities.
• A diverse surgical workforce offers benefits like improved patient satisfaction and compliance.
• Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery (PRS) faces a deficit in residents and faculty from ethnically Underrepresented in Medicine (URiM) backgrounds.

Purpose of the Study:

• To address the lack of diversity in PRS.
• To support URiM students interested in PRS, especially those from institutions without residency programs.
• To explore factors influencing URiM students' pursuit of PRS careers.

Main Methods:

• Formation of Operation Diversify Plastic Surgery, a student-led organization.
• Organizing URiM medical students from historically Black medical universities.
• Providing educational lectures, virtual mentoring, and research fellowship insights.

Main Results:

• Operation Diversify Plastic Surgery offers an innovative approach to increase the URiM PRS residency candidate pool.
• The organization aims to enhance medical student exposure to PRS.
• Mentoring and research opportunities are identified as crucial for recruiting URiM students.

Conclusions:

• Addressing the URiM deficit in PRS is critical for a more equitable healthcare system.
• Student-led initiatives can effectively bridge gaps in access and opportunity.
• Targeted programs are needed to foster diversity in surgical specialties.