Promoting diversity and inclusion in vascular surgery science: challenges and opportunities

Lack of diversity in biomedical science and clinical medicine is well documented but persists even despite evidence to suggest that scientific discovery, generalizability of treatments, access to equitable health care, and clinical outcomes are limited without a diverse workforce. The science, technology, engineering, and mathematics workforce is severely under-represented in terms of females, under-represented minorities, and people with disabilities. Common barriers to entering science and medical fields include lack of mentorship, overt discrimination, compensation differences, and lack of early exposure. However, the lack of diversity does not end with the workforce and persists within clinical trials and databases leading to differences in health care accessibility and outcomes. Although there have been strides taken over the past several decades in improving diversity among medicine, research, and specifically vascular surgery science, the work is clearly not yet done. By increasing awareness of the problem of lack of diversity within vascular surgery, the future is bright regarding not only the vascular surgery workforce but also the patients treated within the health care system.