Arora Tania K, Dent Daniel, Morris-Wiseman Lilah, Nfonsam Valentine
Section of Surgical Oncology, Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University, Augusta, Georgia.
UT Health San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas.
J Surg Educ. 2019 Nov-Dec;76(6):e125-e131. doi: 10.1016/j.jsurg.2019.08.016. Epub 2019 Sep 5.
The Association of Program Directors in Surgery Diversity and Inclusion Taskforce (APDS-DIT) was created in 2017 after the Executive Committee recognized low diversity in its membership. The DIT was charged to address gaps in diversity and inclusion at various phases of training and development from medical student to surgical leader. The aim of this study was to examine APDS demographics and determine the status of inclusion of women, racial and ethnic minorities, and nonuniversity surgeons.
Eleven years (2008-2018) of APDS annual-meeting programs, web directory, 2018-membership lists, and 2017-AAMC data were analyzed. Leadership positions were examined by officer (program chair/vice chair, executive committee, and board of directors. Internet searches identified gender, race, and institutional affiliation. Representative members to other organizations, resident liaisons, and historian members were excluded. APDS "Member," "Associate," and "Resident" lists and AAMC data were divided by gender.
Fifty-one individuals fulfilled 223 leadership positions over 11 years; 13 (25%) were women and 5 (10%) were non-Caucasian. Since 2013, the percentage of nonuniversity surgeons in APDS leadership has declined while, over the last 2 years, the percentage of women and ethnic/racial minority has increased. In 2018, the percentage of women in leadership (38%) was higher than the percentage of women in membership (combined total of program directors and associate program directors [26%]) and nonuniversity-affiliated surgeons comprised 35% of the APDS membership but only 14% of leadership roles.
Over the last 11 years, representation of women, non-Caucasians, and nonuniversity surgeons has been at or less than 1/3 of their counterparts. As an organization that is tasked with creating future generations of the surgical workforce, it is imperative to recognize an under-representation of those members with diverse backgrounds that would add to the creative growth of the organization. The creation of the APDS-DIT emphasizes the organization's commitment to diversity and inclusion and an effort to create a pipeline of diverse leaders in the APDS and surgical training in general.
外科项目主任协会多元化与包容性特别工作组（APDS - DIT）于2017年成立，此前执行委员会认识到其成员的多样性较低。DIT的职责是解决从医学生到外科领导者培训与发展各阶段在多样性和包容性方面的差距。本研究的目的是调查APDS的人口统计学特征，并确定女性、少数族裔和非大学附属外科医生的纳入情况。
分析了11年（2008 - 2018年）的APDS年会项目、网络名录、2018年成员名单以及2017年美国医学院协会（AAMC）的数据。通过官员职位（项目主席/副主席、执行委员会和董事会）来考察领导职位。通过互联网搜索确定性别、种族和机构隶属关系。排除了其他组织的代表成员、住院医师联络人和历史学家成员。APDS的“成员”“准成员”和“住院医师”名单以及AAMC数据按性别进行了划分。
11年间有51人担任了223个领导职位；其中13人（25%）为女性，5人（10%）为非白种人。自2013年以来，APDS领导层中非大学附属外科医生的比例有所下降，而在过去两年中，女性和少数族裔的比例有所上升。2018年，领导层中女性的比例（38%）高于成员中女性的比例（项目主任和副项目主任的总和为26%），非大学附属外科医生占APDS成员的35%，但仅占领导职位的14%。
在过去11年中，女性、非白种人和非大学附属外科医生的占比一直处于或低于其相应比例的三分之一。作为一个负责培养未来外科劳动力的组织，必须认识到那些具有不同背景的成员代表性不足，而这些成员本可促进组织的创造性发展。APDS - DIT的成立强调了该组织对多样性和包容性的承诺，以及努力在APDS和整个外科培训中打造一支多元化的领导者队伍。
