08 Jan Minorities Still Underrepresented in Dermatology Faculty

MedicalResearch.com Interview with:

Dr. Xierali

Imam Xierali, PhD
Associate Professor / UT Southwestern Medical Center
Dallas, Texas

MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?

Response: Despite the continued efforts in academic medicine to increase the representation of women and minorities underrepresented in medicine (URM), there is a lack of information on trends in dermatology department faculty diversity and how they compare with those in other clinical departments.

MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings?

Response: A review of diversity in the U.S. population and among medical school faculty and students suggests that although academic dermatology departments have had an increase in the proportion of female faculty, the proportion of minorities underrepresented in medicine faculty remains low.

MedicalResearch.com: What should readers take away from your report?

Response: Additional attention and efforts to increase racial and ethnic diversity in academic dermatology departments are needed and should be essential aims of a comprehensive plan to prepare a future dermatologist workforce that provides culturally sensitive and clinically competent health care for an increasingly diverse population in the United States.

MedicalResearch.com: What recommendations do you have for future research as a result of this work?

Response: The finding that the representation of underrepresented minorities in dermatology training and faculty is lower than URM representation among medical students means that these students are not applying for or getting into dermatology residency programs. This difference presents an important area for study and an opportunity for dermatology residency programs to recruit diverse applicants to the specialty. 

MedicalResearch.com: Is there anything else you would like to add?

Response: This study identified a need to improve diversity in the field of academic dermatology. This may be achieved through improvement of diversity in dermatology residency programs, strengthened faculty pipeline programs, and mentorship of junior URM faculty members.

We have no major disclosures.

 Citation:

Xierali IM, Nivet MA, Pandya AG. US Dermatology Department Faculty Diversity Trends by Sex and Underrepresented-in-Medicine Status, 1970 to 2018. JAMA Dermatol. Published online January 08, 2020. doi:https://doi.org/10.1001/jamadermatol.2019.4297

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Last Updated on January 8, 2020 by Marie Benz MD FAAD