Dermatology remains the least diverse medical field, after orthopedics. Blacks for example, compose 13% of the U.S. population and Hispanics compose 16% of the population, but each group represents less than 5% of dermatologists, according to the JAMA Dermatology article. At the same time, data show that race-concordant visits are longer and have higher ratings of patient satisfaction. In addition, minority physicians are more likely to care for patients of their own race or ethnic group, practice in underserved areas, care for poor patients and those with Medicaid, and treat patients who report poor health status, studies have found.
Amit Pandya, MD, chair of the American Academy of Dermatology membership committee, said that, while the response rate for the JAMA Dermatology survey was small, the results add important new information about the views of medical students regarding a career in dermatology.
Dr. Amit Pandya
“More research in a larger population of students is needed to learn more about the barriers to matching in dermatology, particularly for students from an under-represented minority background,” Dr. Pandya, professor of dermatology at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, said in an interview.
He added that AAD is making marked efforts to improve diversity in dermatology through its diversity committee. AAD diversity initiatives include an intersociety Work Group on Diversity in Dermatology, a diversity mentorship program for medical students, sponsorship of Nth Dimension bioskill workshops, and the Diversity Champion program, which promotes mentorship, volunteerism, and educational activities for students underrepresented in medicine.
It’s too early to tell if the efforts are working, Dr. Pandya said. It will take a few years to see if the efforts result in more minority applicants being interviewed or accepted to a dermatology residency program.
The AAD will hold a Diversity Champion conference in September in Chicago, which is open to “diversity champions” from dermatology residency programs across the United States. The conference is sponsored by the AAD, Association of Professors of Dermatology, Women’s Dermatologic Society, Skin of Color Society, and Society of Investigative Dermatology.
“It will be an annual conference with the goal of improving diversity in our field,” said Dr. Pandya, conference cochair.
SOURCE: Soliman YS et al. JAMA Dermatol. 2019 Jan 9. doi: 10.1001/jamadermatol.2018.4813.