Abstract
Purpose :
Recently, attention has been brought to the lack of diversity in ophthalmology, particularly for racial, ethnic, gender, and sexual minorities. The purpose of this study is to investigate the competitiveness of underrepresented in medicine (URiM) applicants, female applicants, and lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and other (LGBTQ+) applicants in the ophthalmology match to help identify a possible bottleneck in the pipeline to increase diversity.
Methods :
A retrospective analysis of 2023 SF match applicants to the ophthalmology program of a northeast medical school. We analyzed de-identified data from 631 applications using single-factor analysis of variance. Gender was implied by pronouns used in the application. LGBTQ+ status was noted by either being explicitly stated by the applicant or implied by participation in LGBTQ+ related activities.
Results :
Of the 631 applications analyzed, 102 (16.2%) were URiM, 264 (41.8%) were female, 11 (1.7%) explicitly identified as LGBTQ+, and 14 (2.2%) participated in LGBTQ+ related activities. Compared to non-URiM applicants, URiM applicants had lower USMLE Step 2 scores (mean URiM 245, mean non-URiM 253; p<0.001), total publications (mean URiM 3.2, mean non-URiM 6.2; p=0.001), first-author publications (mean URiM 1.2, mean non-URiM 2.2; p=0.003), percent honors in surgery clerkships (URiM 25% honors, non-URiM 42% honors; p<0.05), and attended a medical school with a lower US News and World Report ranking (p=0.0017), and with a lower Doximity "reputation" ophthalmology program ranking (p=0.049). There was no statistical difference in any of these variables for female applicants compared to male. No statistical comparison could be carried out for LGBTQ+ applicants given the low numbers.
Conclusions :
URiM students had lower USMLE step 2 scores, fewer publications, fewer honors in surgery, were more likely to attend a medical school with a lower ranking, and with a lower ranked ophthalmology program. These are variables among those considered important for a successful ophthalmology match. These differences did not exist between female and male applicants. Additionally, there are limitations in identifying LGBTQ+ applicants given that the SF Match application lacks an explicit LGBTQ+ identification field visible to programs. Further research is needed on how to address these barriers to increase the competitiveness of underrepresented applicants.
This abstract was presented at the 2024 ARVO Annual Meeting, held in Seattle, WA, May 5-9, 2024.