AANA Future Scope aims to diversify orthopedics
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Key takeaways:
- The Arthroscopy Association of North America will hold its biannual Future Scope course series in November.
- The course series will include lectures and offer a hands-on orthopedic experience.
Although research has shown diversity in health care can enhance patient satisfaction, clinical outcomes and improve access to care, women and historically underrepresented groups still represent a minority in orthopedics.
A survey from the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons showed 6.1% of practicing orthopedic surgeons and 15.4% of orthopedic residents are women. Similarly, data from the Association of American Medical Colleges showed 1.9% of practicing orthopedic surgeons are Black or African American.
“There is still a lot of negative biases out there that need to be dispelled that women cannot do [orthopedic surgery] and because you are Black, you do not belong in this business. That is hogwash,” John D. Kelly IV, MD, professor of clinical orthopedic surgery and director of shoulder sports at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, told Healio.
Future Scope
To combat the lack of diversity in orthopedics, the Arthroscopy Association of North America in conjunction with a grant through DePuy Johnson and Johnson will hold its third biannual Future Scope course series on Nov. 9 in Raynham, Massachusetts, and Nov. 23 in Irvine, California, to mentor and empower the next generation of orthopedic surgeons in pursuit of a more equitable and diverse specialty.
“Orthopedics has been a male dominant field. However, there has been an abundance of efforts to encourage women to pursue this specialty,” Eric W. Carson, MD, orthopedic surgeon at Hospital for Special Surgery, told Healio. “Underrepresented minorities do not always have the same access or exposure. The point of [AANA Future Scope] is to expose young people, particularly first- and second-year students, to orthopedics and exactly what that entails as a career.”
Intended for women and historically underrepresented groups who are first- and second-year medical students, the AANA Future Scope effort will feature lectures, including the planned Kelly Family Endowment Diversity and Inclusion Lecture, delivered by women practicing in orthopedics, according to Kelly.
“These are females, especially minority females, who have overcome the odds, and not only have they become well-known orthopedic surgeons, but they are in leadership roles,” Kelly said. “We are trying to make a statement that if they can do it, others can.”
Life experience
Carson said lectures will also focus on defining orthopedics, expectations in the specialty and life experiences, including struggles with lack of mentorship.
“We talk about what private practice, academics and what a typical day in orthopedics is like,” Carson said. “We go through a lot of different aspects of orthopedics to give them a robust one-day experience.”
He added that attendees will receive hands-on training through virtual-assisted learning techniques and cadaver labs.
Carson said the course series is just the beginning of the work AANA is doing to make orthopedics a more diverse specialty.
“We still have a lot of work to do, and the question is: Do we have enough people to help with the work?” Carson said. “We present [orthopedics] as a specialty that is extremely rewarding and that is the excitement that we display to them. That gives them further interest of pursuing a career in this field and potential mentorship to enter a career in orthopedic surgery.”
References:
Clark M, et al. J ISAKOS. 2024;doi:10.1016/j.jisako.2024.05.008.
Future Scope. https://www.aana.org/education-foundation/future-scope/. Accessed Oct. 3, 2024.
Importance of diversity in health care. https://www.aamc.org/about-us/mission-areas/medical-education/my-story-matters. Accessed Oct. 3, 2024.
New AAMC data on diversity in medical school enrollment in 2023. https://www.aamc.org/news/press-releases/new-aamc-data-diversity-medical-school-enrollment-2023#:~:text=Women%20comprised%2056.6%25%20of%20applicants,of%20matriculants%20in%202023%2D24.. Published Dec. 12, 2023. Accessed Oct. 3, 2024.
O’Connor M, et al. World J Surg. 2023;doi:10.1007/s00268-023-06963-0.
Orthopedic surgery is called ‘the whitest specialty’ in medicine. NYU Langone won’t stand for It. https://nyulangone.org/news/orthopedic-surgery-called-whitest-specialty-medicine-nyu-langone-wont-stand-it. Published 2022. Accessed Oct. 1, 2024.
Payares M. Journal of the Pediatric Orthopaedic Society of North America. 2023;doi:10.55275/JPOSNA-2023-561.
Eric W. Carson, MD, of Hospital for Special Surgery, can be reached atcarsone@hss.edu..
John D. Kelly IV, MD, of the University of Pennsylvania, can be reached at john.kelly@pennmedicine.upenn.edu.
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