Diversity in the US Academic Microsurgery Pathway

Summary:. Although the representation of women and ethnic minority students in the US medical schools has recently increased, discrepancies in representation among plastic surgery residents and faculty continue. The state of sex and ethnic diversity in academic microsurgery remains minimally investi...

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Main Authors: Leila Musavi, MD, Sri Harshini Malapati, BS, Kshipra Hemal, MD, Wendy Chen, MD, MS, Robyn Broach, PhD, Mark T. Yost, MD, MPH, Paris D. Butler, MD, MPH, FACS
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wolters Kluwer 2024-11-01
Series:Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Global Open
Online Access:http://journals.lww.com/prsgo/fulltext/10.1097/GOX.0000000000006282
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author Leila Musavi, MD
Sri Harshini Malapati, BS
Kshipra Hemal, MD
Wendy Chen, MD, MS
Robyn Broach, PhD
Mark T. Yost, MD, MPH
Paris D. Butler, MD, MPH, FACS
author_facet Leila Musavi, MD
Sri Harshini Malapati, BS
Kshipra Hemal, MD
Wendy Chen, MD, MS
Robyn Broach, PhD
Mark T. Yost, MD, MPH
Paris D. Butler, MD, MPH, FACS
author_sort Leila Musavi, MD
collection DOAJ
description Summary:. Although the representation of women and ethnic minority students in the US medical schools has recently increased, discrepancies in representation among plastic surgery residents and faculty continue. The state of sex and ethnic diversity in academic microsurgery remains minimally investigated. We aimed to evaluate the sex, race, and ethnicity demographics among academic microsurgeons and identify underrepresentation along the leadership pathway. The US-based microsurgery fellowship programs provided contact information of fellowship graduates from 2006 to 2020. An anonymous electronic survey was distributed, and demographic, training background, mentorship, and career path data were collected. Program websites were reviewed to collect data on academic microsurgery faculty nationwide. We found that women and non-White surgeons reported similar rates of effective mentorship in training. Compared with White surgeons, non-White surgeons had lower probability of holding an academic position directly after fellowship (odds ratio = 0.28, P = 0.023) and reported fewer perceived opportunities for professional advancement (61% versus 91%, P = 0.007). The majority of academic leadership positions were held by White surgeons (72%). Overall, women faculty were earlier in their careers than men (mean time out of fellowship 7.2 years for women versus 14.8 years for men, P < 0.001), signifying a lack of senior female faculty. Male faculty had higher rates of leadership than female faculty (24.7% versus 8.0%, P = 0.01). Our results demonstrate that women and non-White surgeons are not adequately represented in academic microsurgery faculty and leadership positions. Future interventions seeking to increase diversity can help improve the delivery of equitable reconstructive care.
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spelling doaj-art-506aa9cfe63e45c0a56895a0ddc779ca2025-08-20T01:53:26ZengWolters KluwerPlastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Global Open2169-75742024-11-011211e628210.1097/GOX.0000000000006282202411000-00069Diversity in the US Academic Microsurgery PathwayLeila Musavi, MD0Sri Harshini Malapati, BS1Kshipra Hemal, MD2Wendy Chen, MD, MS3Robyn Broach, PhD4Mark T. Yost, MD, MPH5Paris D. Butler, MD, MPH, FACS6From the * Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, Calif.† David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, Calif.‡ Hansjörg Wyss Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, NYU Langone, New York, N.Y.§ Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Md.¶ Division of Plastic Surgery, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pa.∥ Department of General Surgery, University of California, Los Angeles, Calif.** Division of Plastic Surgery, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Conn.Summary:. Although the representation of women and ethnic minority students in the US medical schools has recently increased, discrepancies in representation among plastic surgery residents and faculty continue. The state of sex and ethnic diversity in academic microsurgery remains minimally investigated. We aimed to evaluate the sex, race, and ethnicity demographics among academic microsurgeons and identify underrepresentation along the leadership pathway. The US-based microsurgery fellowship programs provided contact information of fellowship graduates from 2006 to 2020. An anonymous electronic survey was distributed, and demographic, training background, mentorship, and career path data were collected. Program websites were reviewed to collect data on academic microsurgery faculty nationwide. We found that women and non-White surgeons reported similar rates of effective mentorship in training. Compared with White surgeons, non-White surgeons had lower probability of holding an academic position directly after fellowship (odds ratio = 0.28, P = 0.023) and reported fewer perceived opportunities for professional advancement (61% versus 91%, P = 0.007). The majority of academic leadership positions were held by White surgeons (72%). Overall, women faculty were earlier in their careers than men (mean time out of fellowship 7.2 years for women versus 14.8 years for men, P < 0.001), signifying a lack of senior female faculty. Male faculty had higher rates of leadership than female faculty (24.7% versus 8.0%, P = 0.01). Our results demonstrate that women and non-White surgeons are not adequately represented in academic microsurgery faculty and leadership positions. Future interventions seeking to increase diversity can help improve the delivery of equitable reconstructive care.http://journals.lww.com/prsgo/fulltext/10.1097/GOX.0000000000006282
spellingShingle Leila Musavi, MD
Sri Harshini Malapati, BS
Kshipra Hemal, MD
Wendy Chen, MD, MS
Robyn Broach, PhD
Mark T. Yost, MD, MPH
Paris D. Butler, MD, MPH, FACS
Diversity in the US Academic Microsurgery Pathway
Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Global Open
title Diversity in the US Academic Microsurgery Pathway
title_full Diversity in the US Academic Microsurgery Pathway
title_fullStr Diversity in the US Academic Microsurgery Pathway
title_full_unstemmed Diversity in the US Academic Microsurgery Pathway
title_short Diversity in the US Academic Microsurgery Pathway
title_sort diversity in the us academic microsurgery pathway
url http://journals.lww.com/prsgo/fulltext/10.1097/GOX.0000000000006282
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