Changes in numbers and academic ranks of Hispanic faculty in departments of obstetrics and gynecology

OBJECTIVE: Over the past 30 years in the United States, the Hispanic population has more than doubled from 9% to 19%, making it the largest minoritized population.1 Ideally, faculty in any medical specialty should reflect the diversity of the trainees and patients that they serve.2 This 30-year study assessed the changes in the numbers and ranks of Hispanic faculty in obstetrics-gynecology (obgyn) departments. STUDY DESIGN: This retrospective, cross-sectional, observational study analyzed trends at all Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME)-accredited medical schools using data from the Association of American Medical Colleges Faculty Roster from 1993 to 2022.3 Faculty across academic ranks (assistant professor, associate professor, and professor) were compared according to sex and Hispanic ethnicity (eg, Hispanic, Latino, of Spanish Origin). Excluded were faculty who were part-time appointments, instructors, or other rank. The t test was used for comparisons, and simple linear regressions were used for trendlines. This study was exempted for review by the University of Chicago Institutional Review Board. RESULTS: The percentage and number of all faculty who were Hispanic rose from 4.5% (128/2912) in 1993 to 7.2% (425/5885) in 2022. Although the number of Hispanic faculty increased for both males (from 105 in 1993 to 172 in 2022) and females (from 23 to 253), the increase was driven by females (from 0.8% to 4.3%; trendline P<.001), whereas it declined for males (from 3.6% to 2.9%; trendline P1/4.047). The percentage distributions of ethnic and sex faculty sub-groups from 1993 to 2022 are shown in the Figure. The more recent recruitment of Hispanic faculty prompted more males and females to be at the assistant professor level. The percentage lines for each ethnic and sex group were relatively flat over time at each academic rank. The annual percentage at the assistant professor level averaged to be lower for Hispanic males (52.0%; 95% confidence interval [CI], 50.8%-53.3%) than for females (73.0%; 95% CI, 72.2%-73.9%; P<.001) but higher than for non-Hispanic males (40.1%; 95% CI, 39.5% -40.6%; P<.001). The annual percentages of Hispanic faculty averaged to be higher for males than for females at the associate professor (P<.001) and professor (P<.001) levels. Only 65 (5.6%) of all 1155 full professors were Hispanic by 2022. CONCLUSION: As medical school classes become more diverse, faculty who are more diverse offer many advantages in service, teaching, mentoring, and scholarly works.2,4 Although ob-gyn has the highest percentage of faculty who were historically excluded in medicine, the specialty has not kept pace with the rapid growth of the Hispanic population.1,4 Findings of this 30-year study demonstrated that despite a 2-fold rise in the US Hispanic population, there was only a 60% increase in Hispanic ob-gyn faculty. The increase in Hispanic faculty was greater in ob-gyn than in 15 other specialties (from 4.5% to 7.2% vs from 3.1% to 6.0%).5 In contrast with other specialties, the percentages of both Hispanic and non-Hispanic females in ob-gyn increased more than males, which explaines how the percentage of Hispanic and non-Hispanic men declined.4-6 Our findings support the ongoing call by many organizations, including the National Hispanic Medical Association, for dedicated institutional programming and policy changes to increase the previously low Hispanic representation. 7 More than ever, attention should be paid at each successive stage from pathway and pipeline programs to encourage Hispanic students to enroll in medical school, complete ob-gyn residency training, and pursue academic appointment. Ethnicity is now rarely discussed alone, and data collection can be improved. We suggest recordings to include combined race and ethnic backgrounds and country of origin. An increase of underrepresented faculty is necessary at all these stages of faculty recruitment, selection, retention, and promotion. Our findings serve as a baseline for monitoring the number of Hispanic faculty and represent a call to action to encourage Hispanic medical students to pursue ob-gyn residencies and eventually undertake careers in academic medicine. Strategies to foster recruitment and advancement of more Hispanic faculty should address bias, guidance about promotion criteria, increased mentorship, and reducing financial burden.