28. Workforce Diversity in Cardiothoracic Surgery: An Examination of Recent Demographic Changes and the Training Pathway
Indiana University/Indiana University Health
Indianapolis, IN
United States - Contact Me
Dr. DuyKhanh Pham Ceppa is a thoracic surgeon and associate professor of surgery at IUSM. She received her medical degree from the Duke University School of Medicine and, thereafter, completed General Surgery and Cardiothoracic Surgery training. Dr. Ceppa joined the faculty at Indiana University with a clinical focus on General Thoracic Surgery, Thoracic Surgical Oncology, and Minimally-Invasive Surgery. She also serves as the Medical Director of the IU Health lung screening program, Associate Vice Chair of Professional Development, Diversity and Wellness and the Deputy Chief of Surgery at the Roudebush VA Medical Center.
University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine
United States - Contact Me
Ibraheem Hamzat is a third-year medical student at the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine. Ibraheem was born in Lagos, Nigeria, and was raised in Uptown, Chicago. He is passionate about health equity, surgery, and community engagement.
Abstract
Methods: Data from U.S. Graduate Medical Education reports from 2012-2022 and medical student enrollment data from the Association of American Medical Colleges were obtained. Average percentages of women and underrepresented minorities were then calculated in two 5-year intervals: 2013-2017 and 2018-2022. Average percentages of women, Black, and Hispanic medical students were calculated for the 2019-22 period. Simple statistics using Pearson Chi-Squared tests were conducted to determine significant differences in proportions of women, Black/African-American, and Hispanic trainees across time. Significance levels were set at α = 0.05.
Results: Thoracic surgery fellowship and I6 residency programs saw a significant increase in women trainees across the two time periods (19.9% [210/1055] to 24.6% [87/1169], p<0.01 and 24.1% [143/592] to 28.9% [330/1142], p<0.05). A similarly significant increase in women trainees was seen in GS and OS. The percentage of Black GS residents decreased significantly across this period (6% [2430/40531] to 5.6% [2626/47033], p<0.01), while the percentage of Hispanics increased in OS and GS residents increased significantly (5.2% [936/17935] to 6.2% [1296/20845], p<0.01 and 8.3% [3373/40531] to 9.3% [4390/47033], p<0.01). There was no significant change in Black and Hispanic residents in thoracic fellowships or I6 programs. In comparison to medical school representation, Hispanic trainees were the only group whose proportion of thoracic fellows and GS residents significantly increased (p<0.05 and p<0.01). However, women and Black trainees had significantly lower proportions of thoracic fellows and I6 residents than their proportions in medical school (p<0.01).
Conclusions: The field of cardiothoracic surgery has not significantly increased the number of Black and Hispanic residents in the past decade. The lower proportion of Blacks and women in thoracic residency and fellowship compared to their proportion in medical school is an area of concern and an opportunity for intervention by institutions and national societies.