Why a more diverse cardiology workforce is so important—and how to make it a reality
A more racially diverse cardiology workforce would be beneficial for clinicians and patients alike, boosting the quality of care and limiting race-based healthcare disparities. So, one might wonder, what can be done to improve diversity? The team behind a new analysis in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology explored that very question.
The authors began by reviewing some key data about cardiac outcomes in the United States. Cardiovascular disease (CVD) may impact people from all backgrounds, for instance, but mortality from CVD is consistently worse for Black patients than any other group. Black and American Indian patients also face a higher risk of stroke than other patient populations, yet another sign that race-based disparities are a serious problem throughout the country.
The group also provided important context, noting that race has long “been used as a tool for oppression and violence in the United States.”
“This historical context has influenced current societal views toward ‘merit’ and about which members of society are deserving of opportunity,” wrote first author Amber E. Johnson, MD, a specialist at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, and colleagues. “Today, the legacies of racism continue to perpetuate inequities in educational attainment, employment opportunities, healthcare, and many other institutions within our society.”
Johnson et al. noted that a more diverse cardiology workforce can enrich the learning experiences of medical students and trainees, improve patient care and even help researchers deliver better, more accurate studies. The team also listed some ways that clinicians can work to make cardiology a more diverse, inclusive specialty.
“As researchers work to understand the causal mechanisms of race and other social factors on health, clinicians, educators, and administrators can implement strategies that have been proven effective in mitigating disparities,” the authors wrote. “Such strategies include increasing the numbers of minorities in medical education, clinical faculty, and biomedical research. The actions of the American Association of Medical Colleges, the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education, the Association of Black Cardiologists (ABC), and the American College of Cardiology recognize the critical importance of diversity and inclusion at all levels of medical training, clinical practice, and organizational leadership. ABC, for example, has long advocated for parity in the cardiology workforce and has provided mentorship, networking, and other substantive support for trainees and faculty.”
Providing more “leadership and scholarship opportunities” is another way those within the specialty can bring more diversity to the cardiology workforce. Supporting medical students and trainees as much as possible as they work toward achieving their goals can do a lot toward ensuring that tomorrow’s workforce will be a lot more diverse than today’s—and provide even better patient care.
“To intentionally address the well-established racial disparities in cardiovascular health in the United States, we must identify the impediments to health equity and craft solutions that use our current and future resources responsibly,” the authors concluded. “A diverse workforce enriches the environment for all members of the medical and academic communities. Addressing race-based differences in health care and medical education starts with addressing unjust institutional policies in medicine. Although we have focused on academic institutions, the same conclusions can likely be made for nonacademic and community settings.”
Read the full analysis here.
Michael has more than 18 years of experience as a professional writer and editor. He has written at length about cardiology, radiology, artificial intelligence and other key healthcare topics.