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Lack of Diversity in Transplant Hepatology Fellowship Program Directorship

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Abstract

Background

Diversity in medicine has garnered significant attention in recent medical workforce research, as studies consistently reveal the beneficial impact of race-concordant visits on patient outcomes, adherence, and satisfaction. While diversity among residency and fellowship program directors has been studied in other fields, little is known about the diversity within niche fellowship programs such as transplant hepatology. This study aims to investigate the demographic information of program directors in transplant hepatology fellowship programs.

Methods

We identified transplant hepatology fellowship programs and their program directors from the American College of Gastroenterology website. Multiple reviewers compiled demographic and training information from internet searches, which was analyzed using chi-square analysis. In assessing racial diversity, researchers identified perceived race using multiple indicators, including name, physical appearance, and affiliation with identity associations.

Results

Our study analyzed data from 72 program directors, with 61.11% being male. Among the program directors, 55.6% appeared non-Hispanic White, 36.11% appeared Asian, while apparent Hispanics and Blacks represented 5.56% and 4.17%, respectively. Our analysis also found that male program directors appeared largely non-Hispanic white (72.72%) and were significantly more likely to be professors (p = 0.045) rather than associate or assistant professors.

Discussion

Our findings indicate that transplant hepatology fellowship programs are primarily led by male and non-Hispanic White physicians. To attract underrepresented medical students and residents, it is critical to make meaningful efforts to improve diversity and ensure equitable representation of leaders. Future research should focus on developing strategies to build a more inclusive workforce while addressing existing leadership inequities.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Dell Medical School, The University of Texas at Austin, 1501 Red River St, Austin, TX, 78712, USA

    Faraz Jafri & Sara Gottesman

  2. Texas A&M School of Medicine, Round Rock, TX, USA

    Shahbaz Saad

  3. The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA

    Hamna Riaz

  4. John Sealy School of Medicine, The University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX, USA

    Farah Saleem

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  1. Faraz Jafri
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Correspondence to Faraz Jafri.

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Jafri, F., Saad, S., Riaz, H. et al. Lack of Diversity in Transplant Hepatology Fellowship Program Directorship. Dig Dis Sci (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10620-024-08388-8

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