Race and Gender in Ophthalmology: A National Analysis of Medical Students with Intention to Pursue the Field

Journal of Academic Ophthalmology

article

John Chhoa¹  John Jawiche¹  Priya A. Uppal¹  Thilaka Arunachalam¹  Mytien Nguyen²  Branden Eggan³  Hyacinth Mason⁴  Jacqueline Busingye⁵ 

[1] Albany Medical College;Yale School of Medicine;Department of Nursing, Siena College;Office of Student Affairs, Tufts University School of Medicine;Department of Ophthalmology, Albany Medical Center

关键词: diversity;    underrepresented minorities;    medically underserved areas;   

DOI  :  10.1055/s-0043-1760834

学科分类：社会科学、人文和艺术（综合）

来源: Thieme

【 摘 要 】

Purpose The field of ophthalmology must become more reflective of the increasingly diverse U.S. population. This study characterizes students intending to pursue ophthalmology and practice in an underserved area versus other surgical and nonsurgical fields.Subjects Deidentified responses from 92,080 U.S. MD students who matriculated in the academic years beginning from 2007 to 2011 were obtained from the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) Graduation Questionnaires.Methods Study participants were those who fully completed the AAMC Graduation Questionnaire. Chi-squared and multivariate logistical regressions were used for analyses.Results Ophthalmology intending graduates (OIG; n = 1,177) compared with other surgical intending graduates (n = 7,955) were more likely to be female (adjusted odds ratio [aOR]: 1.46; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.28–1.66), Asian (1.71 [1.46–2.01]), and have conducted a research project with a faculty member (1.58 [1.26–1.98]). OIG compared with nonsurgery intending graduates (n = 35,865) were more likely to have completed a research project with a faculty member (4.78 [3.86–5.92]), to be Asian (1.4 [1.21–1.62]), and have received scholarships (1.18 [1.04–1.34]). OIG were less likely to be female (0.64 [0.57–0.73]) and Black/African American (0.5 [0.33–0.74]). Among OIG, Black/African American students and multiracial students were more likely than non-Hispanic (NH) White students to report intention to practice in underserved areas (IPUA; 14.29 [1.82–111.88] and 2.5 [1.06–5.92]), respectively. OIG with global health experience were more likely to report IPUA (1.64 [1.2–2.25]).Conclusion Females and underrepresented in medicine (URM), respectively, were more likely to be nonsurgery intending graduates than OIG, which, if not addressed, may lead to a persistent underrepresentation of these groups in the field. In addition, URM students, including African American students, were more likely to report IPUA, which further emphasizes the importance of more URM students entering the field to address these growing gaps in medical care. Finally, we recommend increased mentorship to help address these disparities.

【 授权许可】

CC BY|CC BY-NC-ND