Mercy Adetoye, MD, MS; Katherine Gold, MD, MSW, MS
Corresponding Author: Mercy Adetoye, MD, MS; University of Michigan Medical School - Department of Family Medicine.
Contact Email: madetoye@med.umich.edu
Section: Brief Report
BACKGROUND: As the United States moves closer to a majority-minority, and a nearly equal male to female population, we should see a similar shift in the composition of leadership in the workplace. Family Medicine, while attempting to close the gaps, continues to fall short in producing women and minority leaders.
METHODS: The demographic traits of Association of Departments of Family Medicine (ADFM) chairs and senior department administrators in medical education institutions in the United States and Canada were analyzed.
RESULTS: The majority of those in chair positions were male (67%) and white (53%) non-Hispanic. Male chairs have been in positions significantly longer than females (average 9 years and 6 years, respectively). There was also a significant difference between chairs in public versus private schools-public, i.e. chairs at public institutions had a much longer average time of 9 years in current position compared with those in private institutions had an average of 5 years. While the comparison was not significant, 46% of those that self-reported as non-white held Chair positions at private schools compared with 28% of those that self-reported as white.
CONCLUSIONS: Despite the availability of leadership pathways, women and underrepresented minorities continue to be underrepresented in these positions. Future research would benefit from a more extensive evaluation of different characteristics such as disability, gender identity and sexual orientation.