LAUSR

BACKGROUND The ACGME requires diversity in residency. The self-identified race/ethnicity of general surgery applicants, residents, and core teaching faculty were assessed to evaluate underrepresented minority (URM) representation in surgery residency programs and to determine the impact of URM faculty and resident on URM applicants' selection for interview or match. STUDY DESIGN Data from the 2018 application cycle was collated for 10 general surgery programs. Applicants without a self-identified race/ethnicity were excluded. URMs were defined as those identifying as Black/African American, Hispanic/Latino/of Spanish origin, American Indian/Alaskan Native/Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander-Samoan. Statistical analyses included chi-square tests, and a multivariate model. RESULTS Ten surgery residency programs received 9,143 applications from 3,067 unique applicants. Applications from White, Asian, Hispanic/Latino, Black/African American and American Indian applicants constituted 66%, 19%, 8%, 7% and 1% of those applications selected to interview and 66%, 13%, 11%, 8% and 2% of applications resulting in a match. Among programs' 272 core faculty and 318 current residents, 10% and 21%, respectively, were identified as URMs. As faculty diversity increased, there was no difference in selection to interview for URM (OR=0.83; 95%CI:0.54-1.28, per 10% increase in faculty diversity) or non-URM applicants (OR=0.68; 95%CI:0.57-0.81). Similarly, greater URM representation among current residents did not impact likelihood of being selected for an interview for URM (OR=1.20; 95%CI:0.90-1.61) vs. non-URM applicants (OR=1.28; 95%CI:1.13-1.45). Current resident and faculty URM representation was correlated (r=0.8; P=0.005). CONCLUSIONS Programs with a greater proportion of URM core faculty or residents did not select a greater proportion of URM applicants for interview. However, core faculty and resident racial diversity were correlated. Recruitment of racially/ethnically diverse trainees and faculty will require ongoing analysis to develop effective recruitment strategies.