Increasing Diversity in Pediatric Hospital Medicine: An Enduring Priority for a Young Subspecialty.

As children in America represent an increasingly racially and ethnically diverse population,1 the field of pediatrics faces the challenge of optimizing their care. One response to promote quality outcomes is to increase diversity in the health care workforce. In patient care, studies have revealed that diverse medical teams give more accurate diagnoses, have higher patient satisfaction, and foster greater patient adherence.2 Overall, a more diverse workforce can enhance cultural humility, improve access to care for underserved populations, and promote cultural competency in research.3 In alignment with the importance of diversity in driving improved outcomes, there is an increased national focus on improving diversity among health care providers. In this issue of Hospital Pediatrics , the American Academy of Pediatrics Section on Hospital Medicine (SOHM) Diversity and Inclusion (D&I) Task Force, led by Dixon et al,4 describes the recent state of diversity within Pediatric Hospital Medicine (PHM) fellowships. A survey was sent to PHM fellowship program directors in 2018 to assess sex, race and ethnicity, sexual identity and orientation, disability status, and socioeconomic disadvantage among PHM fellows, program directors, and faculty. A key finding in this study was the lack of racial and ethnic diversity in PHM fellowships, with no Black and only 2 Hispanic or Latino leaders out of 57 program directors from 35 programs in 2018 (4%). This was reflective of the lack of racial and ethnic diversity among PHM faculty with only 50 Black, American Indian, or Hispanic and/or Latino individuals out of 734 faculty (7%). Most concerning was the lack of diversity in the pipeline, with only 6 total fellows from Black, American Indian, or Hispanic and Latino backgrounds (10%). Meanwhile, it is estimated that 40% of US children were from these underrepresented backgrounds in 2018.5 Although in their study, Dixon et al were …