Gender, Racial and Ethnic Diversity in U.S. Pathology Workforce and Medical Education Examined

Results of a new study on gender, race and ethnicity in pathology, published in the October issue of AJCP, reveals significant gains in the number of women entering the profession since 1995. However, there is still a notable lack of representation in pathology of marginalized populations. This pathology-specific assessment of resident, fellow and pathology workforce diversity helps drive future institutional and professional society-level diversity, inclusion and equity efforts.

Diversity and inclusion in health care makes a difference. It is necessary to improve the ability of healthcare providers to meet each patient’s unique social and cultural needs, thereby improving and personalizing the delivery and quality of care. In addition, both pathology and laboratory professions have gaps in overall entry of students into the profession. It is essential for us to invite the participation of under-represented populations to train and work with us in order to meet the needs of our patients.

The study, Current and Historical Trends in Diversity by Race, Ethnicity, and Sex within the U.S. Pathology Physician Workforce, was conducted by Marissa J. White, MD, and a team of colleagues at Johns Hopkins University. Dr. White serves on ASCP’s Diversity & Inclusion initiative, which was launched by Melissa P. Upton, MD, FASCP, during her tenure as ASCP President.

For the past two years, ASCP’s Diversity & Inclusion initiative has been working to drive changes as they relate to the workforce pipeline in pathology and laboratory medicine. Through programs such as the Career Ambassadors and Pathology Ambassadors, ASCP members visit schools, job fairs and community groups to talk about careers in pathology and laboratory medicine and to expand awareness of the various careers that exist in the laboratory. The initiative also focuses on recruitment and education of talent from under-represented and marginalized populations, as well as on expanding mentorship opportunities to support younger professionals who are seeking to advance their careers and leadership skills by learning from other colleagues.

Dr. Upton is excited about the ways that ASCP’s initiative is already having an impact. “The ASCP Diversity and Inclusion team presented a number of wonderful programs addressing health inequities, especially in the era of COVID-19, both at our recent Annual Meeting and in ASCP Virtual Town Halls and podcasts,” she said.

“We invite all members of our profession to join us in developing their understanding of implicit biases that operate at the level of recruitment and leadership coaching, so that we can recruit talented people who can lead innovations in the way that we reach out to and serve our patients,” she added. “This year, our focus includes a number of initiatives for our members to join: 1)we hope to foster more investigative and scholarly work to address health disparities; 2) we invite efforts to identify best practices in holistic assessment to identify and recruit talented students and employees and in fostering inclusive workplaces; and 3) we hope to foster additional effective partnerships with underserved populations in order to improve laboratory services and pipeline efforts. “