Abstract
To examine changes in U.S. medical school basic science faculty over the last 20 years (1998–2018), we undertook an observational study utilizing data from the American Association of Medical Colleges Faculty Roster. Rank (Instructor, Assistant Professor, Associate Professor, and Professor), sex (Female), and race/ethnicity (Asian, Black or African American, Hispanic, Latino, Spanish Origin, or Multiple Race-Hispanic, and White) were analyzed; this reflected a population of 14,047 (1998) to 18,601 (2018) faculty. Summary percent of faculty in various gender, race/ethnicity origin categories were analyzed across years of the study using regression models. We found that females (24.47% to 35.32%) were underrepresented at all timepoints and a minority of faculty identified as Black or African American (1.57% to 1.99%), Hispanic, Latino, Spanish Origin, or Multiple Race-Hispanic (3.03% to 4.44%), or Asian (10.90% to 20.41%). The largest population at all time points was White Male Professors (30.53% to 20.85%), followed by White Male Associate Professors (15.67% to 9.34%), and White Male Assistant Professors (13.22% to 9.75%). Small statistically significant increases were observed among female faculty and faculty at multiple ranks who identified as Black or African American or Hispanic, Latino, Spanish Origin, or Multiple Race-Hispanic. We then completed secondary analyses looking at the interaction of race/ethnicity and Gender. We found: (1) a significant increase (p<0.0001) in both genders who identify as Asian although males had a higher rate of increase (6 point difference, p<0.0001); (2) a significant increase for Black or African American females (P<0.01) not found among males; (3) significant increases (p<0.0001) among both genders of faculty who identify as Hispanic, Latino, Spanish Origin, or Multiple Race-Hispanic although females had an approximately 1% higher rate of increase; and (4) among faculty who identify as White, males had a significant decrease (p<0.0001) while females demonstrated an increase (p<0.0001).
Highlights
In complex problem solving, diverse teams outperform homogenous teams because the former can capitalize on their unique perspectives and innovative approaches [1,2,3]
A variety of interventions have promoted the entrance of underrepresented minority individuals into the biomedical sciences, such as the National Institutes of Health (NIH) programs Maximizing Access to Research Careers (MARC), Postbaccalaureate Research Education Program (PREP), and F31 Diversity Fellowships, among others
In 2018, female faculty were still a minority (35.32%) and a minority of faculty identified as Black or African American (1.99%) or Hispanic, Latino, Spanish Origin, or Multiple Race-Hispanic (4.44%)
Summary
Diverse teams outperform homogenous teams because the former can capitalize on their unique perspectives and innovative approaches [1,2,3]. A variety of interventions have promoted the entrance of underrepresented minority individuals into the biomedical sciences, such as the National Institutes of Health (NIH) programs Maximizing Access to Research Careers (MARC), Postbaccalaureate Research Education Program (PREP), and F31 Diversity Fellowships, among others. These programs aim to increase the number of underrepresented scientists by facilitating entry into the training pipeline, and while many of these programs have reported varying levels of success [13, 14], they seem to have little effect on the national landscape of diversity at the faculty ranks [15, 16]. Women and underrepresented faculty may not feel as welcome or supported in their scientific endeavors [18, 19] and may face systemic barriers (i.e. lack of early career support; funding disparities) that well-represented colleagues do not [20,21,22,23,24]
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