Breaking Barriers to Diversify the Physician Workforce

  • 7,128

    Total downloads

  • 29k

    Total views and downloads

Submit your idea

Select the journal/section where you want your idea to be submitted:

Submit your manuscript summarySubmit your manuscript

About this Research Topic

Submission closed

Background

It is known that the physician workforce does not reflect the patient population we serve. Studies have shown that the concordance of race and/or language of the physician and the patient leads to better patient outcomes. Patients who share their language or cultural background with their physicians are more likely to follow their advice and express higher levels of satisfaction. Diversifying the physician workforce can also improve the health of the population and lower the cost of healthcare. Efforts exist to diversify the physician workforce, especially in relationship to historically underrepresented groups based on race, which is where the largest gaps in physician/patient concordance are found. Of all U.S. medical school applicants, only 13% identify as Black or Hispanic/Latinx. Physician groups such as Black, Hispanic/Latinx, Native American, Pacific Islander, Southeast Asian remain disproportionally underrepresented. We need to examine the existing barriers to physician workforce diversity and answer the question why current efforts have fallen short.

One strategy has focused on recruitment as early as elementary school to build the bachelors to doctorate in science, technology, engineering, mathematics and medicine pipeline. But more data are needed to determine efficacy and cost-effectiveness of these efforts. While efforts to diversify physician workforce are underway, there needs to be better guidance on strategies and best practices for retaining our URM physicians, as well as caring for minority ethnic people irrespective of physician identities. For example, to what degree is physician workforce disparity (inequities in advancement, unequal pay, experiences with microaggression) negatively impacting physician retention? Can we overcome the race/ethnic physician-patient discordance with education on cultural humility, bias and anti-racism training? Why is there a lack of systematic documentation of care perception (access, equality, quality, decision-making input and overall satisfaction) from people of intercultural background that includes intersectionality such as race, age, gender, sexual orientation, religion, physical abilities, health beliefs and others?

The scope of the Research Topic includes historical perspectives on forms of racism, discrimination, and the systems that support them still today. We are also interested in research looking at pipeline programs; changes in laws such as affirmative action; advancements in medical school admission policies; patient and family perception of health outcomes based on physician demographics; qualitative and quantitative health care equity research based on physician-patient race concordance. We are also seeking personal stories - asset-based stories (Opinion or Commentary Article Type) that exemplify the positive contributions to leadership, the academy, and overall society by historically excluded groups in medicine. We welcome descriptive manuscripts on innovative ideas to diversify the physician workforce and to retain them once they have been recruited. Manuscripts describing intervention evaluations of programs to diversify the workforce would be especially appreciated.

Keywords: Physician, Diversity, Underrepresented groups, Medicine, Health outcomes

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.

Topic editors

Frequently asked questions

  • Frontiers' Research Topics are collaborative hubs built around an emerging theme.Defined, managed, and led by renowned researchers, they bring communities together around a shared area of interest to stimulate collaboration and innovation.

    Unlike section journals, which serve established specialty communities, Research Topics are pioneer hubs, responding to the evolving scientific landscape and catering to new communities.

  • The goal of Frontiers' publishing program is to empower research communities to actively steer the course of scientific publishing. Our program was implemented as a three-part unit with fixed field journals, flexible specialty sections, and dynamically emerging Research Topics, connecting communities of different sizes and maturity.

    Research Topics originate from the scientific community. Many of our Research Topics are suggested by existing editorial board members who have identified critical challenges or areas of interest in their field.

  • As an editor, Research Topics will help you build your journal, as well as your community, around emerging, cutting-edge research. As research trailblazers, Research Topics attract high-quality submissions from leading experts all over the world.

    A thriving Research Topic can potentially evolve into a new specialty section if there is sustained interest and a growing community around it.

  • Each Research Topic must be approved by the specialty chief editor, and it falls under the editorial oversight of our editorial boards, supported by our in-house research integrity team. The same standards and rigorous peer review processes apply to articles published as part of a Research Topic as for any other article we publish.

    In 2023, 80% of the Research Topics we published were edited or co-edited by our editorial board members, who are already familiar with their journal's scope, ethos, and publishing model. All other topics are guest edited by leaders in their field, each vetted and formally approved by the specialty chief editor.

  • Publishing your article within a Research Topic with other related articles increases its discoverability and visibility, which can lead to more views, downloads, and citations. Research Topics grow dynamically as more published articles are added, causing frequent revisiting, and further visibility.

    As Research Topics are multidisciplinary, they are cross-listed in several fields and section journals – increasing your reach even more and giving you the chance to expand your network and collaborate with researchers in different fields, all focusing on expanding knowledge around the same important topic.

    Our larger Research Topics are also converted into ebooks and receive social media promotion from our digital marketing team.

     

  • Frontiers offers multiple article types, but it will depend on the field and section journals in which the Research Topic will be featured. The available article types for a Research Topic will appear in the drop-down menu during the submission process.

    Check available article types here 

  • Yes, we would love to hear your ideas for a topic. Most of our Research Topics are community-led and suggested by researchers in the field. Our in-house editorial team will contact you to talk about your idea and whether you’d like to edit the topic. If you’re an early-stage researcher, we will offer you the opportunity to coordinate your topic, with the support of a senior researcher as the topic editor. 

    Suggest your topic here 

  • A team of guest editors (called topic editors) lead their Research Topic. This editorial team oversees the entire process, from the initial topic proposal to calls for participation, the peer review, and final publications.

    The team may also include topic coordinators, who help the topic editors send calls for participation, liaise with topic editors on abstracts, and support contributing authors. In some cases, they can also be assigned as reviewers.

  • As a topic editor (TE), you will take the lead on all editorial decisions for the Research Topic, starting with defining its scope. This allows you to curate research around a topic that interests you, bring together different perspectives from leading researchers across different fields and shape the future of your field. 

     

    You will choose your team of co-editors, curate a list of potential authors, send calls for participation and oversee the peer review process, accepting or recommending rejection for each manuscript submitted.

  • As a topic editor, you're supported at every stage by our in-house team. You will be assigned a single point of contact to help you on both editorial and technical matters. Your topic is managed through our user-friendly online platform, and the peer review process is supported by our industry-first AI review assistant (AIRA).

  • If you’re an early-stage researcher, we will offer you the opportunity to coordinate your topic, with the support of a senior researcher as the topic editor. This provides you with valuable editorial experience, improving your ability to critically evaluate research articles and enhancing your understanding of the quality standards and requirements for scientific publishing, as well as the opportunity to discover new research in your field, and expand your professional network.

  • Yes, certificates can be issued on request. We are happy to provide a certificate for your contribution to editing a successful Research Topic.

  • Research Topics thrive on collaboration and their multi-disciplinary approach around emerging, cutting-edge themes, attract leading researchers from all over the world.

  • As a topic editor, you can set the timeline for your Research Topic, and we will work with you at your pace. Typically, Research Topics are online and open for submissions within a few weeks and remain open for participation for 6 – 12 months. Individual articles within a Research Topic are published as soon as they are ready.

    Find out more about our Research Topics

  • Our fee support program ensures that all articles that pass peer review, including those published in Research Topics, can benefit from open access – regardless of the author's field or funding situation.

    Authors and institutions with insufficient funding can apply for a discount on their publishing fees. A fee support application form is available on our website.

  • In line with our mission to promote healthy lives on a healthy planet, we do not provide printed materials. All our articles and ebooks are available under a CC-BY license, so you can share and print copies.

     

Impact

  • 29kTopic views
  • 19kArticle views
  • 7,128Article downloads
View impact