Trends in Faculty Advancement for Underrepresented groups in Academic Radiology

Abstract

Rationale and Objectives

The aim of this study was to analyze demographic data of academic radiology faculty to assess rank equity by gender and race/ethnicity and trends from 2000 to 2023.

Methods

Data was collected from the AAMC Faculty Salary Roster, which collects information for self-reported gender and race/ethnicity for faculty at different ranks in U.S. medical schools. To determine parity between faculty ranks across gender and race/ethnicity, rank equity index (REI) was calculated for associate/assistant, professor/associate, and professor/assistant professor comparisons.

Results

The percentage of women faculty increased from 23.6% in 2000 to 30% in 2023. REI increased steadily for women, and White women reached parity in 2023 for Associate/Assistant comparison but not for Professor/Assistant. REI remained low for Asian and URM women (0.67–0.69 for Professor/Assistant comparison). Only Asian men reached parity for Professor/Assistant comparison, and REI decreased for URM men over the study period. Black faculty had a modest improvement in REI from 2000 (0.41) to 2009 (0.67) but remained unchanged since then (0.67 in 2023).

Conclusion

Advancement along the academic ladder has been uneven in academic radiology. While rank equity for women has improved over time, for URM and Asian women it remains substantially below parity. URM men have actually seen a decline in rank equity across ranks. Further efforts are needed to identify barriers to recruitment, retention, and promotion for these sub-groups in academic radiology and create interventions that diversify radiology faculty at all ranks.