Ethnic and Gender Diversity in Pathology: A Dream Deferred

Background Equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) remain an elusive dream in the physician workforce in the United States of America (USA). Many studies have documented the tangible and intangible benefits of EDI, including the caregiver, patients, and healthcare organizations. Objective We aim to examine the ethnic and gender diversity trends of the active residents in pathology in United States residency programs. Methods A retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted on the ethnicity and gender distribution of pathology residency trainees from the academic year 2007-2018. The data was compiled from the American Association of Medical Colleges (AAMC) annual report. Data was entered and analyzed using Microsoft Excel 2013 (Microsoft Corporation, Redmond, WA, USA). Frequencies and percentages were calculated, and bar charts and pie charts were used for graphical representation. Results Almost 35,000 US pathology residents were enrolled according to AAMC during this particular period. The highest trend of enrolling in the field of pathology was observed in 2010 and remained the same for years. This shows that the field of pathology in the USA had some acceptance all these years. The most popular speciality in which most residents were enrolled was anatomic/clinical pathology (80%) in which females were dominant over other fields. Conclusion Over the years, we have failed to overcome gender and ethnicity diversity. Gender and ethnicity have a significant influence on leadership positions, academic ranks, and research productivity among pathology faculty members in the USA.