Abstract
Purpose :
Graduate medical education programs (GMEP) websites have emerged as a valuable tool for ophthalmology fellowship applicants, providing a comprehensive platform for the dissemination of information regarding a program's reputation, faculty expertise, clinical exposure, values, and culture. One way in which programs can improve their diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives and attract a more diverse pool of applicants is through DEI content on GMEP websites. Prior studies have shown ophthalmology residency programs have some of the lowest DEI content on their webpages. Little is known, however, if similar findings are to be expected for fellowship programs within ophthalmology. The purpose of this study is to characterize DEI content on ophthalmology fellowship programs and compare these findings between these sub-specialties.
Methods :
Fellowship programs were identified using the Association of University Professors of Ophthalmology Fellowship Compliance Committee’s database. Only programs located within the United States that were actively training residents were included in this study. In total, 7 specialties met this inclusion criteria: glaucoma, retina (surgical & medical), cornea & external diseases, oncology & pathology, uveitis, neuro-ophthalmology, and pediatric ophthalmology. Data was collected for 603 programs across these specialties and were evaluated on a standardized scoring system for 5 specific criteria: fellowship-specific DEI webpage, DEI commitment statement, DEI initiatives (DEI council, women in ophthalmology, etc.), link to the institution’s DEI homepage, and information about bias training. Data was collected independently by 2 separate individuals for consistency. Any discrepancies between programs’ scores were discussed and voted on by the group.
Results :
The mean score among all programs was 2.8 (out of a maximum of 100). 86.9% of fellowship programs had no DEI content on their website. Pediatric ophthalmology ranked the highest among all specialties while oncology & pathology ranked the lowest (Table 1). A link to the institution’s DEI homepage was the most prevalent factor.
Conclusions :
The results of this study show a lack of DEI content across all ophthalmology sub-specialties’ webpages. These findings represent an actionable area of improvement for fellowship directors to increase their DEI efforts to attract a diverse pool of applicants to their program.
This abstract was presented at the 2024 ARVO Annual Meeting, held in Seattle, WA, May 5-9, 2024.