Diversity equity and inclusions in an academic surgery department: Exploring the present and building a future

The University of Washington Department of Surgery (DoS) Diversity Council created a survey to understand our socio-demographics, identify gaps regarding Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives, and support efforts prioritizing DEI.

An anonymous, voluntary online survey was administered over 5 weeks to DoS members. Quantitative and qualitative analysis were performed using SurveyMonkey and Dedoose, respectively.

Response rate was 59 ​% (300/507). Questions assessed demographics, beliefs, and priorities. 43 ​% of respondents agreed that the DoS addresses DEI effectively. While 99 ​% agreed that racism exists in society, 49 ​% agreed that it exists in the DoS. Key priorities included pipeline issues, recruitment, and retention of under-represented in Medicine (URM) faculty.

While heartened by our progress, our URM pipeline, recruitment, and retention remain a concern. Yet, we commit to promoting greater understanding around DEI, increasing URM in our pipeline, and improving our culture to increase retention and promotion of URM department-members.