(0257) Trends in Racial/Ethnic Diversity in Otolaryngology and Subspecialty Fellowships

Introduction: Disparities in access to care, survival, and accurate diagnoses are documented within the field of Otolaryngology (ENT), particularly among Black and Hispanic populations. Numerous studies demonstrate that patients treated by a physician of the same ethnicity/race have better outcomes. A projected ten-year decline in physician adequacy along with the recent SCOTUS decision on affirmative action is likely to disproportionately impact minority populations, which makes addressing this gap critical. This study examines trends in racial/ethnic diversity among ENT residents and subspecialty fellows.

Methods: The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) Data Resource Book from the years 2012-2022 was used to extract demographic data of US ENT residents and subspecialty fellows. A retrospective analysis comparing US Census and Medical School data was done using R software V 4.2.1. No IRB was required as data is publically available.

Results: A Chi-square analysis demonstrated a significant underrepresentation of Black/African American, Native American, and Hispanic Americans (p <.000001) in US ENT training programs. Furthermore, trend analysis demonstrated that although there has been an increased number of ENT residents nationwide, there has been no significant change in the percentage of residents from demographics underrepresented in medicine (URiM) entering the field. Summary of all years analyzed demonstrated the demographics of ENT residents in training to be 16.6% Asian, 2.3% Black, 4% Hispanic, 0.3% Native American, 57% White, 4.2% Other, 1% Multi, and 14.6% Unknown.

Conclusions: Disparities in representation of ENT residents and subspecialty fellows belonging to groups underrepresented in medicine (URiM) exists. It is essential to rectify the pipeline by ensuring early and sustained exposure of URiM youth to ENT via career awareness, mentorship, and access to research and education opportunities. This will help work toward congruent representation within the specialty, and better serve the national patient population.