Native American Representation and Diversity Initiatives Within Orthopaedic Surgery: An Update and Road Map to...

Area of Science:

• Orthopaedic surgery
• Medical diversity
• Health equity

Background:

• Orthopaedic surgery exhibits lower diversity compared to other medical specialties.
• Native American/Alaskan Native populations are notably underrepresented in orthopaedic surgery, comprising only 0.4% of surgeons despite representing 2.9% of the US population.
• No current orthopaedic inclusion or recruitment programs are specifically designed for Native Americans.

Purpose of the Study:

• To highlight the underrepresentation of Native Americans in orthopaedic surgery.
• To identify existing programs and resources that can support Native Americans pursuing careers in orthopaedics.
• To serve as a guide for aspiring Native American orthopaedic surgeons and inspire future diversity initiatives.

Main Methods:

• Literature review of existing diversity programs and resources.
• Analysis of demographic data on Native American representation in orthopaedic surgery.
• Identification of successful recruitment and inclusion strategies from other medical fields and general diversification programs.

Main Results:

• Significant disparity exists between the proportion of Native Americans in the general population and their representation in orthopaedic surgery.
• Various healthcare recruitment programs, scholarships (e.g., Indian Health Service - IHS), and mentorship opportunities are available for Native Americans.
• General diversity programs (e.g., AAOS IDEA Grant, Nth Dimensions, The Perry Initiative) have shown success in diversifying the orthopaedic surgery pipeline.

Conclusions:

• There is a critical need for increased Native American representation in orthopaedic surgery.
• Leveraging existing general and healthcare-specific programs can support Native American recruitment.
• Developing targeted, Native American-specific orthopaedic inclusion programs is essential for future progress.