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Methods and Sample Representativeness of the Fall 2025 CERA Program Director Survey
Bryce A Ringwald1, Alexis Reedy-Cooper2, Tiffany Ho3
1Department of Primary Care, Mercy Health St. Rita's Medical Center, Lima, OH | Department of Biomedical Education and Anatomy, The Ohio State University College of Medicine, Columbus, OH.
Primer (Leawood, Kan.)
|July 28, 2026
Summary
The Fall 2025 Program Director Survey by the Council of Academic Family Medicine (CAFM) Educational Research Alliance (CERA) achieved demographic representativeness. Future CERA surveys should focus on equitable recruitment to address underrepresented minority response patterns.
Area of Science:
- Academic Medicine
- Medical Education Research
- Family Medicine Training
Background:
- The Council of Academic Family Medicine (CAFM) Educational Research Alliance (CERA) conducts national surveys in academic family medicine.
- This report details the development, administration, and representativeness of the Fall 2025 Program Director Survey.
Purpose of the Study:
- To describe the methodology and demographic characteristics of the Fall 2025 CERA Program Director Survey.
- To assess the representativeness and potential nonresponse bias of the survey sample.
Main Methods:
- Survey development involved peer-reviewed investigator proposals and pilot testing.
- The electronic survey was distributed to all ACGME-accredited family medicine residency program directors.
- Representativeness was assessed by comparing the sample to Association of Family Medicine Residency (AFMRD) data, and nonresponse bias was tested using early vs. late responder analysis.
Main Results:
- A total of 313 out of 701 program directors responded (44.7% response rate).
- The sample was demographically representative by gender and race/ethnicity compared to AFMRD membership.
- Fewer participants identified as underrepresented in medicine (URiM) (11.2% vs. 16.1%), with notable differences in late response rates for Black/African American participants.
Conclusions:
- The Fall 2025 CERA Program Director Survey demonstrated demographic representativeness and minimal nonresponse bias.
- Attention to equitable recruitment strategies is needed for future CERA surveys, particularly concerning URiM and Black/African American respondents.
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