Diversity in Gender, Race, and Specialty Among US Allopathic Medical School Leadership.

Abstract

Purpose: The demographic composition of United States (US) medical school leadership remains underexplored, despite growing recognition of workforce disparities in gender, race, and specialty. These gaps may affect patient care, mentorship, and education. This study examines demographic patterns in US allopathic medical school leaders relative to the broader physician and general US populations.

Methods: From June 2023 to January 2024, we reviewed 154 US allopathic (MD) medical schools. We analyzed individual leadership structures and patterns in each institution. Institutional websites and publicly available sources were used to collect data on leadership demographics (gender, race, age), academic background (degrees, specialty), prior leadership roles, and research productivity via PubMed searches.

Results: In total, 154 allopathic medical schools in 46 states met inclusion criteria. We identified 1097 individuals (56.97% male, 70.46% White/Asian) serving as Dean, Senior Associate Dean, Assistant Dean, or equivalent. Most leaders held an MD or equivalent (76.12%), while 23.79% held solely a PhD. The majority practiced nonprocedural specialties (61.71%) and had prior leadership roles, such as Department Chair/Vice Chair (34.28%) or Program Director/Associate Director for Residency or Fellowship (18.24%). Most held or had held professorships (68.55%).

Conclusions: Most allopathic medical school leaders come from nonprocedural specialties, which may influence students' mentorship access and specialty choices. With gender, race, and specialty disparities existing among medical leadership, diversification of these leaders could enhance the medical school learning environment, broaden mentorship, and help align the physician workforce with the population it serves.