The ethnogeriatric imperative: strategies for increasing Black physician representation in geriatric medicine.

Abstract

The increasing diversity of the aging population in the United States underscores an urgent need for a more racially and ethnically diverse geriatric physician workforce. Recent statistics reveal a positive relationship between physician-patient racial concordance, life expectancy and health outcomes of Black Americans. Despite this need, Black physicians, as a subgroup, remain significantly underrepresented in geriatric medicine. In this paper, we submit that the ethnogeriatric imperative is a useful framework for developing strategies to increase the representation of Black geriatricians in the U.S. We offer strategies to accomplish this goal: enhancing mentorship and developing career pathways early on during the undergraduate, pre-medicine years. By acknowledging the existing challenges facing geriatrics, we can develop recruitment and retention interventions that move toward a more inclusive field, one that advances health equity.