Assessing Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Statements of Urogynecology Fellowships

The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) has aimed to increase diversity among the physician workforce. Prospective applicants utilize websites to identify programs that share a commitment to equity and inclusion. Published statements of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) demonstrate a fellowship program's recognition of the importance of improving diversity in health care and medical education.

The aim of the study was to assess the utilization of DEI statements published on urogynecology and reconstructive pelvic surgery (URPS) fellowship program websites.

All ACGME accredited URPS fellowship websites in July 2023 were reviewed for presence of a DEI statement as a primary outcome. Website content was then compared across geographical regions (Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, Midwest, South, and West).

Seventy-two URPS programs had a dedicated website for review. Nine (12.5%) URPS programs had a published diversity statement. There were no statistical differences in the presence of a statement in URPS fellowships based on core-surgical speciality or geographic region.

A majority of URPS programs lack a DEI statement (87.5%) demonstrating an area for improvement. With an increasingly diverse patient population, the recruitment of a diverse pool of physician applicants is more crucial than ever. By advocating for transparency, URPS fellowship programs can foster an environment that nurtures a physician workforce better equipped to provide culturally inclusive health care.