Although numbers may differ slightly today, research indicates that diversity in rheumatology has been an issue for a long time.
Reactions
Dr. Ramsey-Goldman
Many rheumatologists say they are anxious about the effect the court’s decision will have on their ability to attract a diverse group of medical students into rheumatology.
“The decision will impact the rheumatology workforce if we do not strive to continue to embrace the importance of diversity and identify possible solutions to support diversity while complying with the court’s ruling,” says Rosalind Ramsey-Goldman, MD, DrPH, Gallagher Research Professor of Rheumatology, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago. Dr. Ramsey-Goldman chairs the ACR’s Collaborative Initiatives Committee and is a volunteer on the Workforce Solutions Steering Committee.
Dr. Wright
“Any messaging from the Supreme Court that suggests we shouldn’t think about race and ethnicity makes me think we’ll have more challenges in having a workforce that mirrors our patient population,” says Tracey Wright, MD, associate professor and chief of the Division of Pediatric Rheumatology, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas. The impact of diversity, or lack thereof, becomes more obvious in smaller niche areas, such as pediatric rheumatology, she says.
Dr. Blazer
“This decision will make it more challenging to recruit and retain the diverse workforce necessary to care for our diverse patients,” says Ashira Blazer, MD, MSCI, an attending physician at the Hospital for Special Surgery and assistant professor of medicine, Weill Cornell Medical College, both in New York City. Dr. Blazer is also co-chair of the ACR’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee.
“I worry about whose voices will be missing at the table, especially when we’re a small specialty,” says Irene Blanco, MD, MS, professor in the Department of Medicine-Rheumatology, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago. Dr. Blanco co-chairs the ACR’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee. She ponders how the recent Supreme Court decision will affect recruitment groups and organizations that focus on helping minority candidates, both within and outside rheumatology.
Dr. Blanco
Research shows physicians who are under-represented in medicine maintain higher-quality communication with patients who identify as racial or ethnic minorities.4 Many patients with rheumatic disease, especially those with systemic lupus erythematosus, rheumatoid arthritis and Sjögren’s disease, are female and represent minorities in the U.S., says Dr. Blazer.
A diverse rheumatology workforce can offer better patient care, create more innovative research, publish higher-quality manuscripts and challenge insular biases that prevent progress, Dr. Blazer says. In short, increased diversity can make a difference in patient outcomes.
