Current and Historical Trends in Diversity by Race, Ethnicity, and Sex Within the US Pathology Physician Workforce

2020 ◽  
Vol 154 (4) ◽  
pp. 450-458
Author(s):  
Marissa J White ◽  
Rhea J Wyse ◽  
Alisha D Ware ◽  
Curtiland Deville

Abstract Objectives This study assessed historical and current gender, racial, and ethnic diversity trends within US pathology graduate medical education (GME) and the pathologist workforce. Methods Data from online, publicly available sources were assessed for significant differences in racial, ethnic, and sex distribution in pathology trainees, as well as pathologists in practice or on faculty, separately compared with the US population and then each other using binomial tests. Results Since 1995, female pathology resident representation has been increasing at a rate of 0.45% per year (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.29-0.61; P < .01), with pathology now having significantly more females (49.8%) compared to the total GME pool (45.4%; P < .0001). In contrast, there was no significant trend in the rate of change per year in black or American Indian, Alaskan Native, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AI/AN/NH/PI) resident representation (P = .04 and .02). Since 1995, underrepresented minority (URM) faculty representation has increased by 0.03% per year (95% CI, 0.024-0.036; P < .01), with 7.6% URM faculty in 2018 (5.2% Hispanic, 2.2% black, 0.2% AI/AN/NH/PI). Conclusions This assessment of pathology trainee and physician workforce diversity highlights significant improvements in achieving trainee gender parity. However, there are persistent disparities in URM representation, with significant underrepresentation of URM pathologists compared with residents.


2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 89-100 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gopal K Singh ◽  
Isaac E. Kim, Jr. ◽  
Mehrete Girmay ◽  
Chrisp Perry ◽  
Gem P. Daus ◽  
...  

Objectives: Dramatic increases in opioid and drug overdose mortality have occurred in the United States (US) over the past two decades. To address this national public health crisis and identify gaps in the literature, we analyzed recent empirical trends in US drug overdose mortality by key social determinants and conducted a selective review of the recent literature on the magnitude of the opioid crisis facing different racial/ethnic, socioeconomic, and rural-urban segments of the US population. Methods: We used the 1999-2017 mortality data from the US National Vital Statistics System to analyze trends in drug overdose mortality by race/ethnicity, age, and geographic area. Log-linear regression was used to model mortality trends. Using various key words and their combinations, we searched PubMed and Google Scholar for select peerreviewed journal articles and government reports published on the opioid epidemic between 2010 and 2018. Results: Our original analysis and review indicate marked increases in drug overdose mortality overall and by race/ethnicity and geographic regions, with adolescents and young adults experiencing steep increases in mortality between 1999 and 2017. Our selective search yielded 405 articles, of which 39 publications were selected for detailed review. Suicide mortality from drug overdose among teens aged 12-19 increased consistently between 2009 and 2017, particularly among teen girls. The rise of efficient global supply chains has increased opioid prescription use and undoubtedly contributed to the opioid epidemic. Many other important contributing factors to the epidemic include lack of education and economic opportunities, poor working conditions, and low social capital in disadvantaged communities. Conclusions and Global Health Implications: Our analysis and review indicate substantial disparities in drug overdoses and related mortality, pain management, and treatment outcomes according to social determinants. Increases in drug overdoses and resultant mortality are not only unique to the US, but have also been observed in other industrialized countries. Healthcare systems, community leaders, and policymakers addressing the opioidepidemic should focus on upstream structural factors including education, economic opportunity, social cohesion, racial/ethnic disadvantage, geographic isolation, and life satisfaction. Key words: • Opioids • Drug overdose • Mortality • Pain management • Treatment • Race/Ethnicity • Social determinants • Health disparities Copyright © 2019 Singh et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.



2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 18-41
Author(s):  
Madhuri Sharma

This article explores the relationships between diversity, its components, and their change with economic health at the scale of counties, using major economic characteristics such as change in population, labor-force participation, employment and unemployment, and median household income (overall and by race/ethnicity). Tract-scale and county-scale data from the National Historical Geographic Information System are used to compute diversity scores and its components, to visually analyze the spatial distribution patterns. Correlations & stepwise regression models suggest that diversity-2000 associates positively with greater diversity (overall and among non-whites) in 2014, but negatively with a change in diversity (overall, and non-white). While median household income associates with a positive change in diversity, those for Blacks associate negatively with change in diversity, largely supporting the inertia effects of Black presence as an ‘unattractive' factor. Unemployment associates with diversity & change/non-white-diversity, suggesting unemployment likely prevalent among whites. This has huge socio-economic and politics-based policy implications.



Author(s):  
Madhuri Sharma

This article establishes relationships between racial/ethnic diversity, segregation, and employment-by-industry-types in the counties of Tennessee. Using the American Community Survey and NAICS data, diversity scores, entropy indices, and location quotients for major-employment are computed for Tennessee's 95 counties. Cartographic analysis, followed by correlations, principal components and regression analyses help establish the above relationships. The north-east and west-central regions of Tennessee have concentration in primary-sectors of economy whereas counties with concentration in creative-class economy (e.g., Williamson, Davidson) have higher presence of Asians, and with greater human capital (education). Simultaneously, these are also the most segregated despite being diverse. Counties with higher diversity and higher share of African-Americans are segregated, despite having employment concentration in diverse set of industries. Enormous growth potentials exist in the sectors of education and health-care which can help Tennessee revitalize its economy.



2018 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 100-114 ◽  
Author(s):  
Edward C. Polson ◽  
Kevin D. Dougherty

Religious participation has reinforced the color line in American society for generations. Despite rising racial and ethnic diversity across U.S. communities, most Americans continue to belong to congregations composed primarily of others from their own racial/ethnic groups. Yet recent scholarship suggests that the presence of multiple racial or ethnic groups in the same congregation is increasing. The authors examine how the racial/ethnic composition of U.S. congregations is related to white attenders’ friendship networks and comfort with other racial/ethnic groups (i.e., blacks, Hispanics, and Asians). Using national survey data, the authors find that whites in multiracial congregations report more diverse friendship networks and higher levels of comfort with nonwhites than do whites in nonmultiracial congregations. However, the influence of worshipping with another race/ethnicity seems to be most pronounced for whites in congregations with Hispanics. Moreover, neighbors and friends of other races have more impact on whites’ friendship networks and attitudes than do congregations. The authors discuss implications of these findings for understanding U.S. intergroup relations and the potential of congregations to address the color line.



2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Theodore C Friedman ◽  
Magda Shaheen ◽  
Dulcie Kermah ◽  
Deyu Pan ◽  
Katrina Schrode ◽  
...  

Abstract Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a common chronic liver condition. It is manifested by hepatic steatosis (HS) that can progress to non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), and even liver failure. Interestingly, it is marked by racial/ethnic disparities, with a high prevalence in Hispanics. We aimed to identify the risk factors for these chronic conditions in the US. To this end, we analyzed data from NHANES III (1988-1994) using multiple or multinomial logistic regression considering the design and sample weight. HS was identified by ultrasound. NAFLD was defined as HS in the absence of viral hepatitis or excessive use of alcohol or hepatotoxic drugs. The NAFLD population was further divided into those with NASH (defined by the HAIR score), or with simple NAFLD. The prevalence of HS was 19.8%, 16.6%, and 27.9%; of NAFLD was 17.8%, 14.7%, and 25.5%; and of NASH was 3.2%, 2.5%, and 5.1% in non-Hispanic Whites, non-Hispanic Blacks and Hispanics, respectively. Race/ethnicity was a significant predictor of HS, NAFLD and NASH, with Hispanics having the highest odds for all conditions, and non-Hispanic Blacks having the lowest odds relative to Whites (p<0.05). Other significant risk factors for all three conditions were older age, higher BMI, abnormal levels of C-peptide, and elevated serum glucose and triglycerides (p<0.05). HOMA insulin resistance was associated with HS and NAFLD (p<0.05). While smoking status was not associated with HS (p>0.05), current smokers had lower odds of NAFLD & NASH than non-smokers (p<0.05). Elevation of the liver enzyme aspartate aminotransferase was a significant risk factor of HS, while elevation of the liver enzyme alanine transaminase was a significant risk factor of NAFLD. Elevation in the levels of both liver enzymes was predictive of NASH (p<0.05). Although we included physical activity relative to national recommendation variable and the Healthy Eating Index (a measure of diet quality) in our analyses, neither of these factors was a predictor of any of the liver conditions (p>0.05). Our results showed an independent association between race/ethnicity and HS, NAFLD, and NASH, whereby Hispanics had the highest odds for every condition relative to non-Hispanic Whites. Providers should consider the race/ethnicity of their patients when evaluating the risk for NAFLD and NASH, and also be aware of the other risk factors, such as BMI and levels of C-peptide, glucose, and triglycerides.



2020 ◽  
Vol 135 (1_suppl) ◽  
pp. 149S-157S
Author(s):  
Benedict I. Truman ◽  
Ramal Moonesinghe ◽  
Yolanda T. Brown ◽  
Man-Huei Chang ◽  
Jonathan H. Mermin ◽  
...  

Objective Federal funds have been spent to reduce the disproportionate effects of HIV/AIDS on racial/ethnic minority groups in the United States. We investigated the association between federal domestic HIV funding and age-adjusted HIV death rates by race/ethnicity in the United States during 1999-2017. Methods We analyzed HIV funding data from the Kaiser Family Foundation by federal fiscal year (FFY) and US age-adjusted death rates (AADRs) by race/ethnicity (Hispanic, non-Hispanic white, non-Hispanic black, and Asian/Pacific Islander and American Indian/Alaska Native [API+AI/AN]) from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention WONDER detailed mortality files. We fit joinpoint regression models to estimate the annual percentage change (APC), average APC, and changes in AADRs per billion US dollars in HIV funding, with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). For 19 data points, the number of joinpoints ranged from 0 to 4 on the basis of rules set by the program or by the user. A Monte Carlo permutation test indicated significant ( P < .05) changes at joinpoints, and 2-sided t tests indicated significant APCs in AADRs. Results Domestic HIV funding increased from $10.7 billion in FFY 1999 to $26.3 billion in FFY 2017, but AADRs decreased at different rates for each racial/ethnic group. The average rate of change in AADR per US billion dollars was −9.4% (95% CI, −10.9% to −7.8%) for Hispanic residents, −7.8% (95% CI, −9.0% to −6.6%) for non-Hispanic black residents, −6.7% (95% CI, −9.3% to −4.0%) for non-Hispanic white residents, and −5.2% (95% CI, −7.8% to −2.5%) for non-Hispanic API+AI/AN residents. Conclusions Increased domestic HIV funding was associated with faster decreases in age-adjusted HIV death rates for Hispanic and non-Hispanic black residents than for residents in other racial/ethnic groups. Increasing US HIV funding could be associated with decreasing future racial/ethnic disparities in the rate of HIV-related deaths.



2020 ◽  
Vol 44 (5) ◽  
pp. 523-530 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rhea Wyse ◽  
Wei-Ting Hwang ◽  
Awad A. Ahmed ◽  
Erica Richards ◽  
Curtiland Deville


Blood ◽  
2009 ◽  
Vol 114 (22) ◽  
pp. 3069-3069
Author(s):  
Casey L O'Connell ◽  
Pedram Razavi ◽  
Roberta McKean-Cowdin ◽  
Malcolm C. Pike

Abstract Abstract 3069 Poster Board III-6 Background Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is an aggressive malignancy whose incidence declines through adolescence and then increases steadily with age. Prognosis appears to be inversely related to age among adults. We sought to explore the impact of race/ethnicity on incidence and survival among adults with ALL in the United States (US). Methods We examined trends in incidence and survival among adults with ALL in the US using the National Cancer Institute's Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) program which includes data from 17 SEER registries. We calculated the incidence rates for the most recent time period (2001-2005) because the classification for ALL subtypes was more complete during this time. For the survival analysis we used the data collected between 1975 and 2005. We categorized race/ethnicity into 5 mutually exclusive categories: non-Hispanic whites (NHW), Hispanic whites (HW), African Americans (AA), Asian/Pacific Islanders (API) and American Indians/Native Alaskans (AI/NA). Hispanic ethnicity was defined using SEER's Hispanic-origin variable which is based on the NAACCR Hispanic Identification Algorithm (NHIA); 11 patients dually coded as black and Hispanic were included in the AA group for our analyses. Few ALL cases were identified among AI/NA, so that group is not represented in the final analyses. We included ALL cases coded in the SEER registry using the International Classification of Disease for Oncology (ICD-0-3) as 9827-9829 and 9835-9837. We excluded cases of Burkitt's leukemia (n=228), cases that were not confirmed by microscopic or cytologic tests (n=132), cases that were reported only based on autopsy data (n=3) and cases whose race/ethnicity were unknown (n=20). The average annual incidence rates per 100,000 for 2001-2005, age-adjusted to the 2000 US standard population were calculated using SEER*Stat Version 6.4.4 statistical software. We used multivariate Cox hazard models stratified by SEER registry and age category to estimate the hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) for relative survival of adult ALL cases across race/ethnicity, sex and cell of origin (B- or T-cell). All models were adjusted for the diagnosis era, and use of non-CNS radiation. The model also included an interaction term for age and diagnosis era. We performed a separate stratified analysis of the impact of race/ethnicity on survival within age subgroups (20-29, 30-39, 40-59, 60-69, 70+). Results The highest incidence rate (IR) of ALL was observed for HW (IR: 1.60; 95% CI: 1.43-1.79). HW had a significantly higher IR across all age categories as compared to the other racial/ethnic groups, while AA had the lowest IR. In particular, the observed rate of B-cell ALL among HW (IR 0.77; 95% CI 0.69-0.87) was more than twice that of NHW (IR: 0.29; 95% CI: 0.27-0.32) and more than three times the rate observed among AA (IR: 0.20; 95% CI: 0.15-0.26). In contrast, we did not observe statistically significant variability in the rates of T-cell ALL across race/ethnic groups (overall IR: 0.12; 95% CI: 0.11-0.14). Survival was significantly poorer among AA (HR: 1.26; 95% CI: 1.09-1.46), HW (HR: 1.21; 95% CI: 1.09-1.46), and API (HR: 1.18; 95% CI: 1.06-1.32) compared to NHW with all subtypes of ALL. Among adults younger than 40 with B-cell ALL, survival was significantly poorer among AA (HR: 1.60; 95% CI:1.021-2.429) and HW (HR: 1.53; 95% CI:1.204-1.943) with a non-signficant trend among API (HR: 1.22; 95% 0.834-1.755) compared to NHW. Survival differences between the different racial/ethnic groups were no longer statistically significant among adults with B-cell ALL over the age of 40. For T-cell ALL, survival was significantly poorer among AA (HR: 1.61; 95% CI: 1.22-2.10), HW (HR: 1.49; 95% CI: 1.14-1.93) and API (HR: 1.57; 95% CI: 1.13-2.13), as compared to NHW. A similar survival pattern by age (adults above and below age 40 years) was observed for T-cell as described for B-cell, with AA under 40 having a particularly dismal prognosis (HR: 2.89; 95% CI 1.96-4.17) compared to NHW. Conclusions The incidence rate of B-cell ALL among adults in the US is higher among HW than other ethnic groups. Survival is significantly poorer among AA and HW than among NHW under the age of 40 with B-cell ALL. Survival is also significantly poorer among AA, HW and API than among NHW with T-cell ALL in adults under 40. Survival trends appear to converge after the age of 40 among all racial/ethnic groups. Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.



2019 ◽  
Vol 23 (7) ◽  
pp. 1014-1031
Author(s):  
Hannah J. Osborn ◽  
Nicholas Sosa ◽  
Kimberly Rios

The growing racial/ethnic diversity in the United States can be perceived as threatening to White Americans. The present work examines how interethnic ideologies—different ways of framing ethnic diversity—moderate perceptions of threat and political conservatism among White Americans exposed to a passage about the US becoming a “majority-minority” nation. Across 3 studies, we found divergent effects of multiculturalism and polyculturalism within the context of growing diversity. Priming multiculturalism increased perceived threats to the ingroup’s power and status, which in turn led to greater endorsement of conservative political views (Studies 1 and 3) and warmer feelings toward a conservative political figure (i.e., Donald Trump; Studies 2 and 3); however, these relationships were attenuated and sometimes reversed among participants primed with polyculturalism. We discuss implications for how interethnic ideologies influence White Americans’ threatened responses to increasing diversity.



2019 ◽  
Vol 135 (1) ◽  
pp. 74-81 ◽  
Author(s):  
Melody S. Goodman ◽  
Christine M. Plepys ◽  
Jemar R. Bather ◽  
Rita M. Kelliher ◽  
Cheryl G. Healton

Objective: This study is a follow-up to an examination of the racial/ethnic composition of public health students (1996) and faculty (1997) at schools of public health that was conducted 20 years ago. We examined data on the race/ethnicity of students, graduates, and faculty among Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health (ASPPH)–member institutions during 2016-2017 and how these data have changed in the past 20 years. Methods: We obtained data on the race/ethnicity of students (in 1996 and 2016), graduates (in 1996 and 2016), and faculty (in 1997 and 2017) at ASPPH-member institutions from the ASPPH Data Center. We tabulated frequencies, percentages, and 20-year percentage-point changes by race/ethnicity. We examined data for all current ASPPH-member institutions and for comparable subcohorts of 1996 and 1997 member institutions that are current ASPPH members. Results: In graduate student enrollment, the 20-year increase in each nonwhite racial/ethnic subgroup was ≤5 percentage points. Among tenured faculty, the 20-year increase was greatest among Asians (8 percentage points) but was <3 percentage points for black, Hispanic, and Native American faculty. Conclusions: The increasing racial/ethnic diversity among students, graduates, and faculty in schools and programs of public health contributes to parallel increases in racial/ethnic diversity in the public health workforce. Schools and programs of public health should recruit clusters of racial/ethnic minority students using holistic application review processes, provide enrolled students with racially/ethnically diverse role models and mentors, and dedicate staffing to ensure a student-centered approach. In addition, those who mentor racially/ethnically diverse students and junior faculty should be rewarded.



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