Disparities for Asian American Medical Students in Alpha Omega Alpha and Gold Humanism Honor Societies

Membership in both the Alpha Omega Alpha (AOA) and Gold Humanism Honor Society (GHHS) is positively associated with career advancement. Prior studies have shown that Asian American medical students are less likely to be selected for these societies, but it is unknown whether representation among specific Asian American subgroups differ.

To examine the association between AOA and GHHS membership and self-reported ethnicity among Asian American students at US doctor of medicine (MD)-granting medical schools.

This retrospective cross-sectional study analyzed deidentified data from the Association of American Medical Colleges, focusing on allopathic medical students graduating between 2018 and 2021. Data analysis was conducted from July 10, 2024, to January 26, 2026.

Self-reported race and Asian ethnicity.

The primary outcome was AOA and GHHS membership at graduation. Multivariable logistic regression was performed, adjusting for Medical College Admission Test score, childhood income, sex, and sexual orientation, and clustered by medical school.

Among 55 632 graduating medical students, 28 127 (50.6%) self-identified as female and 10 867 (19.5%) as Asian American. AOA membership was reported by 10 126 students (18.2%), and GHHS membership was reported by 8623 students (15.5%). Bangladeshi (odds ratio [OR], 0.35; 95% CI, 0.20-0.61), Chinese (OR, 0.51; 95% CI, 0.44-0.58), Filipino (adjusted OR, 0.44; 95% CI, 0.29-0.65), Indian (OR, 0.56; 95% CI, 0.50-0.63), Japanese (OR, 0.48; 95% CI, 0.28-0.81), Korean (OR, 0.41; 95% CI, 0.33-0.51), Pakistani (OR, 0.46; 95% CI, 0.34-0.63), Taiwanese (OR, 0.38; 95% CI, 0.28-0.51), and Vietnamese (OR, 0.56; 95% CI, 0.45-0.71) students were less likely to be AOA members than White students. Chinese (OR, 0.67; 95% CI, 0.58-0.78), Korean (OR, 0.55; 95% CI, 0.43-0.69), and Taiwanese (OR, 0.67; 95% CI, 0.49-0.91) students were less likely to be GHHS members compared with White students.

This cross-sectional study of graduating medical students found widespread underrepresentation of most Asian American subgroups in AOA membership and for Chinese, Korean, and Taiwanese medical students in GHHS membership. This underscores the importance of disaggregating Asian American individuals in medicine to unmask disparities and provide opportunities to promote greater inclusion in medicine.