Abstract
BackgroundThe proportion of black, Latino, and Native American faculty in U.S. academic medical centers has remained almost unchanged over the last 20 years. Some authors credit the "minority tax"—the burden of extra responsibilities placed on minority faculty in the name of diversity. This tax is in reality very complex, and a major source of inequity in academic medicine.DiscussionThe “minority tax” is better described as an Underrepresented Minority in Medicine (URMM) faculty responsibility disparity. This disparity is evident in many areas: diversity efforts, racism, isolation, mentorship, clinical responsibilities, and promotion.SummaryThe authors examine the components of the URMM responsibility disparity and use information from the medical literature and from human resources to suggest practical steps that can be taken by academic leaders and policymakers to move toward establishing faculty equity and thus increase the numbers of black, Latino, and Native American faculty in academic medicine.
Highlights
The proportion of black, Latino, and Native American faculty in U.S academic medical centers has remained almost unchanged over the last 20 years
Summary: The authors examine the components of the Underrepresented Minorities in Medicine (URMM) responsibility disparity and use information from the medical literature and from human resources to suggest practical steps that can be taken by academic leaders and policymakers to move toward establishing faculty equity and increase the numbers of black, Latino, and Native American faculty in academic medicine
Progress has been made in increasing the numbers of medical students and faculty from URMM backgrounds, the proportions of URMM faculty and URMM students remain basically unchanged since the numbers of positions has increased
Summary
Diversity efforts disparity Many underrepresented URMM faculty feel an obligation to the communities they represent and to future generations of minority students [2]. The relative absence of URMM faculty and especially in leadership roles has a negative effect on all medical students and house staff, but URMM trainees These negative effects include: less research regarding the health care needs of minority patients, limited exposure to underserved populations, and fewer mentors for URMM students. In addition to the cited proven institutional change programs, further research on interventions to address the URMM faculty responsibility disparity is necessary to evaluate their effectiveness. These interventions once implemented, can hopefully help create a healthy, diverse, and inclusive environment that will benefit all members of the academic community and improve health care.
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