Minority Faculty Voices on Diversity in Academic Medicine: Perspectives From One School

As racial and ethnic diversity in the general population of the United States increases, research continues to show that diversity in the physician workforce improves health care quality and access to care for ethnic minorities.1–3 In 2004, three ethnic minority groups, African Americans, Latino Americans, and American Indians, represented more than 25% of the U.S. population but only 6% of the nation’s physicians.4 Several reports, including those of the Institute of Medicine and the Sullivan Commission, have called for measures to increase the diversity of the medical workforce.1,4,5 Recruitment and retention of racial and ethnic minority faculty at medical schools have been identified as key factors in increasing the pipeline of minority medical students. Minority faculty provide support for minority students in the form of role models, educators, and mentors.6,7 Unfortunately, minority faculty continue to be alarmingly underrepresented, comprising only 4.2% of medical school faculty nationwide in 2005.8 In that same year, approximately 20% of minority faculty were located at three historically black medical schools and three Puerto Rican medical schools accredited by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education.9 Minority academic medicine faculty are less likely to hold senior rank, are promoted at lower rates,10–12 and report more discrimination than white faculty.13 In addition, high rates of discrimination and harassment during medical education and training14,15 might explain differences in the level of physicians’ professional satisfaction according to race and ethnicity.16 A recent study of physicians of African descent found that race-related experiences can create “racial fatigue” and result in personal and professional costs for physicians.17 Diversity in the student body at medical schools has been shown to enhance the educational experience for all students.18 In addition to addressing health disparities in academic medicine and improving the education and training of all medical students, increasing the number of minority faculty may improve care by increasing the numbers of physicians working with underserved populations19 and by multiplying options for minority patients who prefer racially concordant physicians.20–22 The far-reaching effects of anti-affirmative-action policies, such as Proposition 209 in California, have negatively affected minority student enrollment and recruitment. Proposition 209, a constitutional measure passed in 1996, outlawed race- and gender-based admissions and hiring policies at California public institutions. As of 2008, the University of California–San Francisco (UCSF) School of Medicine faculty includes 2.1% African American and 2.6% Latino faculty. UCSF is working on a variety of strategies to increase diversity through initiatives such as the Underrepresented in Medicine Mentorship Program, the School of Medicine Task Force on Underrepresented Minorities, the Chancellor’s Advisory Committee on Diversity, and a new position for a director of academic diversity. In our study, we bring the voice of minority faculty to current diversity efforts by examining the effects of anti-affirmative-action policies on the diversity climate and by making specific recommendations for academic institutions seeking to increase diversity. Previous studies have focused on junior faculty or students,23,24 whereas our study explores both the junior and senior faculty experience. To explore the diversity climate at UCSF, we designed a qualitative study to examine the perceptions of minority faculty with regard to diversity and discrimination on campus. Our objectives were to (1) elicit and explore the perspectives of minority faculty regarding racial and ethnic diversity in academic medicine, and (2) generate collective recommendations on ways to increase diversity in academic medicine at our institution and nationwide.