Evaluation of Women and Underrepresented Racial and Ethnic Group Representation in a General Cardiology Fellowship After a Systematic Recruitment Initiative

Key Points Question Is there an association between implementing a systematic recruitment initiative and improved representation of women and underrepresented racial and ethnic groups (UREGs) in a general cardiology fellowship? Findings In this quality improvement study, a recruitment initiative was associated with an increase in the percentage of matriculating women, from 23.2% in the 10 years before the initiative to 54.2% in the 3 years after the initiative, and UREG fellows, from 9.7% before the initiative to 33.3% after the initiative. Even greater increases were seen in overall fellowship demographic diversity as the more diverse entering classes diversified the entire fellowship cohort. Meaning These findings suggest that a systematic recruitment initiative may be associated with an increase in women and UREG cardiology fellows in a large general cardiology fellowship.