Demographics of ASTRO Student Members and Potential Implications for Future U.S. Radiation Oncology Workforce Diversity

• Type of Material: Article
• Authors: Malcolm D Mattes, Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey; Curtiland Deville, Johns Hopkins University; Raymond Mailhot B Vega, University of Florida; Claire Y Fung, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center; Gita Suneja, The University of Utah; John W Shumway, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School; Mudit Chowdhary, The Warren Alpert Medical School; Chirag Shah, Taussig Cancer Center; James Bates, Emory University; Pranshu Mohindra, University of Maryland School of Medicine; Malika L Siker, Medical College of Wisconsin; Karen M Winkfield, Vanderbilt University Medical Center; Neha Vapiwala, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia; Trevor J Royce, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine
• Language: English
• Date: 2022-03-01
• Publisher: Elsevier Inc.
• Publication Version: Final Published Version
• Copyright Statement: © 2021 The Author(s)
• License: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 4.0 International
• Final Published Version (URL): http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.adro.2021.100834
• Title of Journal or Parent Work: Advances in Radiation Oncology
• Volume: 7
• Issue: 2
• Start Page: 100834
• End Page: 100834
• Grant/Funding Information: This work had no specific funding.
• Keywords: physician workforce; Health disparities; Radiation Oncology
• Research Categories: Health Sciences, Oncology

Abstract

Purpose: The radiation oncology workforce in the United States is comparatively less diverse than the U.S. population and U.S. medical school graduates. Workforce diversity correlates with higher quality care and outcomes. The purpose of this study was to determine whether student members of the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) are any more diverse than resident members-in-training using the recently established medical student membership category. Methods and Materials: Self-reported sex, race and Hispanic ethnicity, medical school, and degree(s) earned for all medical students (n = 268) and members-in-training (n = 713) were collected from the ASTRO membership database. International members were excluded. The χ2 test was used to assess for differences between subgroups. Results: Compared with members-in-training, student members were more likely to be female (40.0% vs 31.5%, P = .032), black or African American (10.7% vs 4.8%, P = .009), candidates for or holders of a DO rather than MD degree (5.2% vs 1.5%, P = .002), and from a U.S. medical school that is not affiliated with a radiation oncology residency program (30.5% vs 20.9%, P = .001). There was no significant difference in self-reported Hispanic ethnicity (7.3% vs 5.4%, P = .356). There were no indigenous members in either category assessed. Conclusions: Medical student members of ASTRO are more diverse in terms of black race, female sex, and osteopathic training, though not in terms of Hispanic ethnicity or nonmultiracial indigenous background, than the members-in-training. Longitudinal engagement with these students and assessment of the factors leading to specialty retention versus attrition may increase diversity, equity, and inclusion in radiation oncology.