Diversity and equity in medical education over the past decade: applications, matriculations, and the growing gaps

作者：Lv Gang, Xiangxiang Jiang, Jordan Franklin, Minghui Li, Yuan Jing, Kevin Lu · 发表于：BMC Medical Education · 年份：2025 · DOI：10.1186/s12909-025-07498-9 · 被引用次数：11 · 研究领域：Diversity and Career in Medicine、Medical Education and Admissions、Cultural Competency in Health Care

BACKGROUND: Diversity and race-concordant relationships contribute to improved patient experiences and outcomes. In contrast, the representation of underrepresented in medicine (URiM) individuals in different medical specialties is declining. The essential pathway to improving diversity within the future workforce centers around the inclusion of a diverse cohort of medical students. We aimed to examine the diversity of medical school applications and admissions across sex, race and ethnicity over the past decade. METHODS: This study used data from the Association of American Medical Colleges from 2015 to 2024. URiM individuals refer to minority populations that are underrepresented in the medical profession, including Black, Hispanic, American Indian or Alaska Native (AIAN), and Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander (NHPI). Diversity representation was measured using the representation index. RESULTS: There was an increasing trend in medical school applicants among females but a decreasing trend among males. The number of Asian female applicants increased significantly (51.33%), while the numbers of Black (29.74%) and Hispanic (14.98%) female applicants also showed notable upward trends. Matriculation rates for Black females (mean: 33.64%; SD: 2.28%) and overall URiM females (mean: 35.94%; SD: 2.02%) have consistently remained below White females (mean: 44.22%; SD: 2.66%), Asian females (mean: 43.57%; SD: 2.59%), and the national average for females (mean: 40.96%; SD: 2.0...