Status of underrepresented minority and female faculty at medical schools located within Historically Black Colleges and in Puerto Rico

Emily M Mader; José E Rodríguez; Kendall M Campbell; Timothy Smilnak; Andrew W Bazemore; Stephen Petterson; Christopher P Morley

doi:10.3402/meo.v21.29535

Status of underrepresented minority and female faculty at medical schools located within Historically Black Colleges and in Puerto Rico

Med Educ Online. 2016 Mar 9:21:29535. doi: 10.3402/meo.v21.29535. eCollection 2016.

Authors

Emily M Mader¹, José E Rodríguez², Kendall M Campbell², Timothy Smilnak^{3

4}, Andrew W Bazemore^{5

6

7

8

9}, Stephen Petterson⁵, Christopher P Morley^{1

10

11}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Family Medicine, SUNY Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, NY, USA.
² Center for Underrepresented Minorities in Academic Medicine, Department of Family Medicine & Rural Health, College of Medicine, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, USA.
³ College of Medicine, SUNY Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, NY, USA.
⁴ Lerner Center for Public Health Promotion, Maxwell School of Citizenship & Public Affairs, Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY, USA.
⁵ Robert Graham Center, Washington, DC, USA.
⁶ Department of Family Medicine, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, USA.
⁷ Department of Family Medicine, Georgetown University, Washington, DC, USA.
⁸ Department of Family Medicine, Virginia Commonwealth University, Virginia, USA.
⁹ Department of Health Policy, George Washington University School of Public Health, Washington, DC, USA.
¹⁰ Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, SUNY Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, NY, USA.
¹¹ Department of Public Health & Preventive Medicine, SUNY Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, NY, USA; morleycp@upstate.edu.

Abstract

Background and objectives: To assess the impact of medical school location in Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) and Puerto Rico (PR) on the proportion of underrepresented minorities in medicine (URMM) and women hired in faculty and leadership positions at academic medical institutions.

Method: AAMC 2013 faculty roster data for allopathic medical schools were used to compare the racial/ethnic and gender composition of faculty and chair positions at medical schools located within HBCU and PR to that of other medical schools in the United States. Data were compared using independent sample t-tests.

Results: Women were more highly represented in HBCU faculty (mean HBCU 43.5% vs. non-HBCU 36.5%, p=0.024) and chair (mean HBCU 30.1% vs. non-HBCU 15.6%, p=0.005) positions and in PR chair positions (mean PR 38.23% vs. non-PR 15.38%, p=0.016) compared with other allopathic institutions. HBCU were associated with increased African American representation in faculty (mean HBCU 59.5% vs. non-HBCU 2.6%, p=0.011) and chair (mean HBCU 73.1% vs. non-HBCU 2.2%, p≤0.001) positions. PR designation was associated with increased faculty (mean PR 75.40% vs. non-PR 3.72%, p≤0.001) and chair (mean PR 75.00% vs. non-PR 3.54%, p≤0.001) positions filled by Latinos/Hispanics.

Conclusions: Women and African Americans are better represented in faculty and leadership positions at HBCU, and women and Latino/Hispanics at PR medical schools, than they are at allopathic peer institutions.

Keywords: academic medicine; diversity; medical faculty; underrepresented minority; women.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.

MeSH terms

Cultural Diversity*
Faculty, Medical / statistics & numerical data*
Female
Gender Identity
Humans
Male
Minority Groups / statistics & numerical data*
Puerto Rico
Racial Groups / statistics & numerical data*
Schools, Medical / statistics & numerical data*
United States

Grants and funding

D54HP23297/PHS HHS/United States