Leadership Roles and Initiatives for Diversity and Inclusion in Academic Anesthesiology Departments

Abstract:PURPOSE: A cultural change in medicine has placed a renewed focus on the importance of a diverse and inclusive healthcare workforce. This study's objective was to assess the frequency of established leadership infrastructures and initiatives that promote diversity and inclusion within academic anesthesiology departments.METHOD: The authors emailed an electronic survey to 98 academic anesthesiology departments to assess leadership roles, dissemination platforms, and initiatives utilized supporting diversity and inclusion.RESULTS: The survey response rate was 49.4%. While 62.5% of respondents reported having faculty members with a diversity and inclusion role, only 27.5% reported a clearly defined leadership role such as vice-chair or committee chair. Seventy percent of respondents reported initiatives geared towards diversity using multiple platforms to showcase these initiatives.CONCLUSIONS: Based on these survey results, many anesthesia departments have developed initiatives to promote their departmental diversity. However, only a minority have established clearly defined leadership roles, which may be critical to enhance departmental success in promoting diversity and inclusion.