Diversity in abdominal radiology: a decade-long review of gender, racial, and ethnic representation among fellows.

Abstract

Purpose: Recent analyses have characterized demographic trends in neuroradiology fellowships; however, diversity patterns within abdominal radiology fellowships have not been independently evaluated. This study examines gender and racial/ethnic representation among abdominal radiology fellows over a decade and contextualizes these findings relative to published neuroradiology fellowship data and broader radiology workforce trends.

Methods: Publicly available Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) Data Resource Book data were analyzed for abdominal radiology fellows from academic years 2014-2015 through 2023-2024. Self-reported gender and race/ethnicity were extracted. Underrepresented in medicine (URM) status was defined as Hispanic/Latino, Black/African American, American Indian/Alaskan Native, and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander. Binomial logistic regression and Cochran-Armitage trend testing were performed to assess temporal trends.

Results: A total of 468 abdominal radiology fellows were identified across 10 academic years, with 44-54 fellows enrolled annually. Overall, 29.9% were female and 6.6% met URM criteria. Female representation ranged from 17.8% to 38.8% without a statistically significant temporal trend (OR per year 1.00; 95% CI 0.94-1.07; p = 0.92). URM representation ranged from 2.2% to 12.2% without significant change over time (OR per year 1.06; 95% CI 0.93-1.21; p = 0.36). Compared with published neuroradiology fellowship data, abdominal radiology demonstrated modestly higher female representation but similarly low URM representation.

Conclusion: Abdominal radiology fellowships demonstrate persistent gender and racial/ethnic disparities over a decade. These findings underscore the need for targeted, sustained diversity interventions across the diagnostic radiology training pipeline, particularly at earlier stages where efforts may take years to manifest at the fellowship level.