Abstract

Radiology has widely acknowledged the need to improve inclusion of racial, ethnic, gender and sexual minorities, with recent discourse also underscoring the importance of disability diversity and inclusion efforts. Yet, studies have shown a paucity of diversity among radiology residents, despite increasing efforts to foster diversity and inclusion. Thus, the purpose of this study is to assess radiology residency program websites' diversity statements for inclusion of race/ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, and disability as commonly underrepresented groups.A cross-sectional, observational study of websites of all diagnostic radiology programs in the ERAS (Electronic Residency Application Service®) directory was conducted. Program websites that met inclusion criteria were audited for presence of a diversity statement, if the statement was specific to the residency program, radiology department, or institution, and if it was presented or linked on the program or department website. All statements were evaluated for the inclusion of four diversity categories: race/ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, and disability.192 radiology residencies were identified using ERAS. Programs with missing/malfunctioning hyperlinks (N=33) or required logins (N=1) were excluded. 158 websites met inclusion criteria for analysis. Two-thirds (N=103; 65.1%) had a diversity statement either within their residency, department, or institution, with only 28 (18%) having residency program specific statements and 22 (14%) having department-specific statements. Of the websites with diversity statements, inclusion of gender diversity was most frequent (43.0%), followed by race/ethnicity (39.9%), sexual orientation (32.9%) and disability (25.3%). Race/ethnicity was most-included in institution-level diversity statements.Less than 20% of radiology residency websites include a diversity statement, and disability is the least-included category among the diversity statements. As radiology continues to lead diversity and inclusion efforts in healthcare, a more comprehensive approach with equitable representation of different groups, including those with disabilities, would foster a broader sense of belonging. This comprehensive approach can help to overcome systemic barriers and bridge gaps in disability representation.

View details for DOI 10.1016/j.jacr.2023.02.027

View details for PubMedID 37028498