This activity is provided by Med Learning Group.
This activity is supported by an independent medical education grant from Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Copyright © 2019Med Learning Group. Built by Divigner. All Rights Reserved.
A diverse workforce includes those with differences in race, ethnicity, sex, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, and other factors.1 Several benefits are associated with a more diverse workforce within medicine—to include ophthalmology:
Despite the advantages of a diverse ophthalmic workforce, ophthalmology and the retina subspecialty still have strides to make to increase the number of URMs. The specialty has seen some growth in this area in recent years, but there is room for improvement. Here are some examples of diversity (or lack thereof) within ophthalmology and retina:
Recognizing the need for greater diversity within the ophthalmic workforce, prominent medical societies and ophthalmologists at the academic and practice level can and are making changes to include a more diverse group of physicians.
“Given the current state of representation in ophthalmology indicating that women and URM students are further underrepresented at each achievement level in ophthalmology, it will take more than status quo practices for the field to become more diverse,” according to Jeffrey Gluckstein, author of a 2023 report on diversity in ophthalmology.14
The AAO has made several changes to encourage diversity within the specialty:
At the academic and practice level, other ways that leaders can and are focusing on workforce diversity include the following:
Another strategy that can help encourage more diversity within ophthalmology is to speak with medical students as they search for a specialty. “When they are deciding on a specialty, we want them to see ophthalmology as a meaningful, achievable option,” said Purnima S. Patel, MD, in an AAO EyeNet article.18 Active engagement before medical school may also encourage future workforce diversity, such as with Oregon Health and Science University’s Casey Advancement of Diversity and Inclusion in Ophthalmology (CADIO) program, in which minority high school and college students are targets for outreach.18 This program lets URM students know about the benefits of working within ophthalmology as well as the potential to have a positive impact on field-related disparites.18
All URLs accessed February 21, 2024
This activity is provided by Med Learning Group.
This activity is supported by an independent medical education grant from Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Copyright © 2019Med Learning Group. Built by Divigner. All Rights Reserved.