A conceptual model for faculty development in academic medicine: the underrepresented minority faculty experience.

In May 2010, the Association of American Medical Colleges reported that nonwhite professors have a lower promotion rate than white professors. A cohort of 30 underrepresented minority (URM) junior faculty who participated in a structured faculty development program at a public, research-intensive, academic medical center were followed in a 10-year longitudinal study. This paper reports on the career status of 12 of the 30 URM faculty who were eligible for promotion during this period. Ninety-two percent (11/12) of URM faculty eligible for promotion were promoted to associate professor. When asked what factors contributed to their success, these URM faculty identified access and support of senior faculty mentors, peer networking, professional skill development, and knowledge of institutional culture. A faculty development program that addresses these components can promote the success of URM faculty in academic medicine.

Increasing the capacity of health sciences to address health disparities.

In order to create a cohort of investigators who are engaged in health disparities research, scholarship, and practice, and to increase the amount of funding in the university that is invested in research focused on reducing health disparities, the San Diego EXPORT Center implemented 2 major initiatives: (1) the support of underrepresented minority (URM) junior faculty development and (2) the funding for pilot research grants in health disparities. This paper describes the activities employed by the center and summarizes the outcomes of these two initiatives. Ninety-five percent (18 of 19) URM junior faculty completed the faculty development program, and 83.3% (15 of 18) of the completers are advancing in their academic careers at University of California San Diego (UCSD) and are teaching, working with populations at risk and/or conducting research in health disparities. EXPORT awarded 7 investigators a total of $429186 to conduct pilot research, and 71.4% (5/7) have now obtained $4.7 million in independent extramural funding. The San Diego EXPORT Center has increased the research capacity, strengthened the infrastructure for health disparities research, and created a cohort of successful URM junior faculty who are advancing in their academic careers. These investigators are already changing the climate at UCSD by their leadership activities, research focus, peer-networking, and mentoring of students.

Career experiences and perceptions of underrepresented minority medical school faculty.

BACKGROUND: Although studies have outlined the benefit of diversity in academic medicine, the number of underrepresented minority (URM) faculty remains low. In 1998, University of California, San Diego (UCSD) School of Medicine with the Hispanic Center of Excellence began a formalized proactive faculty development program. Over the past 10 years, recruitment and retention of URM junior faculty have increased. We undertook a study to explore factors associated with this improvement. METHODS: Semistructured interviews were conducted with 18 out of 26 URM and 12 out of 26 randomly chosen non-URM assistant and associate faculty members throughout 2005. Interview content, based on a conceptual framework from Joanne Moody, included career path, knowledge and experience with faculty development programs and perceived faculty standing. RESULTS: URM faculty were more likely than majority faculty (44% vs. 8%, p = 0.04) to mention the importance of a role model in choosing their career path. URM faculty participated in faculty development programs at a higher rate than majority faculty (78% vs. 17%, p < 0.001), were more likely to find out about programs through personal contact (94% vs. 42%, p = 0.001) and reported more personal contacts prior to participation (78% vs. 33%, p = 0.02). URM faculty were older, graduated earlier and were more likely hired into a staff position prior to faculty appointment (61% vs. 17%, p = 0.02). CONCLUSIONS: Academic medical centers may find competitive URM candidates in staff positions and alternative faculty tracks within their institution. Informing URM faculty often and personally about opportunities for faculty development may increase their participation in career development programs and improve retention.

Navigating between cultures: the role of culture in youth violence.

The purpose of this paper is to review three cultural concepts (acculturation, ethnic identity, bicultural self-efficacy) and their relationship to the known risk and protective factors associated with youth violence. We conducted a review of the relevant literature that addresses these three cultural concepts and the relationship among culture, violent behavior, and associated cognition. The available literature suggests that ethnic identity and bicultural self-efficacy can be best thought of as protective factors, whereas acculturation can be a potential risk factor for youth violence. We examine the connection between these cultural concepts and the risk and protective factors described in the 2001 Surgeon General's Report on Youth Violence, and present a summary table with cultural risk and protective factors for violence prevention. These concepts can assist physicians in identifying risk and protective factors for youth violence when working with multicultural adolescents and their families. Physicians are more effective at providing appropriate referrals if they are aware that navigating among different cultures influences adolescent behavior.

Diversity in academic medicine no. 6 successful programs in minority faculty development: ingredients of success.

This article describes the ingredients of successful programs for the development of minority faculty in academic medicine. Although stung by recent cuts in federal funding, minority faculty development programs now stand as models for medical schools that are eager to join the 140-year-old quest for diversity in academic medicine. In this article, the ingredients of these successful faculty development programs are discussed by experts in minority faculty development and illustrated by institutional examples. Included are descriptions of program goals and content, mentoring and coaching, selecting participants, providing a conducive environment, managing the program, and sustaining support. This article is a companion to another article, "Successful Programs in Minority Faculty Development: Overview," in this issue of the Mount Sinai Journal of Medicine.