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DIVERSITY & INCLUSION

Diversity & Inclusion

Gender and ethnic diversity, inclusion, and equality is paramount for success and advancement in the medical field. The key to initiating change and improving this climate is to be well-informed of the facts surrounding male and female representation in cardiology, minority representation in clinical trials, and similar topics.

Doctors of Color and Microaggressions
A New York Times article describes the microaggressions that doctors of color frequently experience in their daily practice. In a field dominated by white males, many minority physicians frequently hear comments from colleagues and patients questioning their credibility and undermining their authority. The article emphasizes the importance of raising awareness about this issue and what steps people can take towards eliminating conscious and unconscious bias. The positive impact of diversity in medicine on patient outcomes is also addressed.
Female Doctors Spend More Time With Patients But Earn Less Than Men
NPR recently covered a study from the New England Journal of Medicine which found that female primary care physicians spend more time with their patients but earn less money than their male counterparts. While previous research suggests that the extra time female doctors spend connecting with patients may have a positive impact on health outcomes, study authors believe that the extra time female physicians spend with their patients can have profound implications on the gender pay gap.
The Battle for Gender Equality
In the latest episode of Rox Heart Radio, Dr. Roxana Mehran brings Dr. C. Michael Gibson up to speed on Women as One, a campaign to promote talent in medicine by offering professional opportunities to female physicians.
Cardiology and the #BlackLivesMatter Movement
In the latest episode of Rox Heart Radio from TCTMD, Drs. Roxana Mehran, Wayne Batchelor, and Icilma Fergus discuss the #BlackLivesMatter movement and how to combat racism in cardiology.  
There’s Still Not Enough Women in Cardiology
A recent report from JAMA Cardiology found that women remain underrepresented in cardiology despite a growing number of female medical students and internal medicine residents. Researchers found that despite a 42.6% prevalence of female internal medicine resident physicians, women are still underrepresented in adult general cardiology fellowships, comprising just 21.5% of the pool. They’re also underrepresented in procedural subspecialty fellowships, including interventional cardiology (9.8%) and electrophysiology (13.7%). They concluded that more research is needed to help reduce barriers to diversity and improve diversity in the field. Source: Cardiovascular Business
New Initiative from The Lancet Aims to Promote Diversity and Inclusion
The Lancet recently announced that it will no longer sponsor “manels” (all-male panels) and will actively take steps to improve the inclusion of all genders, gender equity, diversity, and inclusion in research and publishing. Several prominent cardiologists provided commentary on this initiative to Cardiology Today.
Medical Schools Slowly Becoming More Diverse
Medical schools are slowly becoming more diverse according to a research letter published in JAMA which examined the changing demographics of medical students from 2002 to 2017. NPR noted that researchers believe that the increase in diversity enrollment may be attributed to a 2009 guideline requiring that all medical schools implement policies that help attract and retain more diverse students.
Minority Resident Physicians Routinely Face Racism
Reuters reports that a study published in JAMA Network Open found that minority resident physicians routinely deal with bias during their training. Although blacks, Hispanics and Native Americans together make up one-third of the nation’s population, these three minorities make up just 9% of physicians. The authors note that addressing these unique challenges related to race/ethnicity is crucial to creating a diverse and inclusive work environment and minimizing potential damage to the minority pipeline.
Women More Likely to Survive Heart Attacks If Treated by Female Doctors
Women admitted to the hospital with heart attacks are more likely to survive if they are treated by female doctors, reported The Atlantic in a piece that also examines the enduring male bias in coronary heart disease research. The study, which was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences also found that male doctors were better at treating women with heart attacks when they had more experience treating these patients, and especially when they worked in hospitals with more female doctors.
Disparities Persist for Women Physicians
According to a recent letter in the Annals of Internal Medicine, disparities in compensation and career advancement persist for women physicians in the United States. Data from a survey of the American College of Physicians (ACP) internists found that the median annual salary for men is $50,000 higher than that for women.