Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Strategies for Applicants Belonging to Underrepresented Groups

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Career Development in Academic Radiation Oncology

  • 694 Accesses

Abstract

The path to radiation oncology for students and trainees from demographic groups that are underrepresented in radiation oncology, such as women and/or racial and ethnic minority groups that are historically underrepresented in medicine (URM), may be long and challenging and at times may seem insurmountable. Moreover, career advancement and professional development within radiation oncology may seem similarly difficult for underrepresented trainees, junior and mid-level faculty, and practicing physicians, given the disproportionate underrepresentation and systemic bias encountered. The purpose of this chapter is to reveal the barriers, obstacles, and deterrents to training and career advancement and to elucidate the successful strategies to specialty entry and professional development so that you may thrive in your future careers as academic radiation oncologists.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 99.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 129.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  1. Deville C, Hwang W, Burgos R, Chapman CH, Both S, Thomas CR. Diversity in graduate medical education in the United States by race, ethnicity, and sex, 2012. JAMA Intern Med. 2015;175(10):1706–8.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. Ahmed AA, Hwang WT, Holliday EB, Chapman CH, Jagsi R, Thomas CR Jr, Deville C Jr. Female representation in the academic oncology physician workforce: radiation oncology losing ground to hematology oncology. Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys. 2017;98(1):31–3.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  3. Chapman CH, Hwang WT, Deville C. Diversity based on race, ethnicity, and sex, of the US radiation oncology physician workforce. Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys. 2013;85(4):912–8.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  4. Deville C Jr, Cruickshank I Jr, Chapman CH, Hwang WT, Wyse R, Ahmed AA, Winkfield KM, Thomas CR Jr, Gibbs IC. I can’t breathe: the continued disproportionate exclusion of black physicians in the United States radiation oncology workforce. Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys. 2020;108(4):856–63.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. Hill C, Deville C, Alcorn S, Kiess A, Viswanathan A, Page B. Assessing and providing culturally competent care in radiation oncology for deaf Cancer patients. Adv Radiat Oncol. 2020;5(3):333–44.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  6. Lightfoote JB, Fielding JR, Deville C, Gunderman RB, Morgan GN, Pandharipande PV, Duerinckx AJ, Wynn RB, Macura KJ. Improving diversity, inclusion, and representation in radiology and radiation oncology part 1: why these matter. J Am Coll Radiol. 2014;11(7):673–80.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  7. Ahmed AA, Hwang WT, Thomas CR Jr, Deville C Jr. International medical graduates in the US physician workforce and graduate medical education: current and historical trends. J Grad Med Educ. 2018;10(2):214–8.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  8. Marrast LM, Zallman L, Woolhandler S, Bor DH, McCormick D. Minority physicians’ role in the care of underserved patients: diversifying the physician workforce may be key in addressing health disparities. JAMA Intern Med. 2014;174(2):289–91.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. Alsan M, Garrick O, Graziani G. Does diversity matter for health? Experimental evidence from Oakland. Am Econ Rev. 2019;109(12):4071–111.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  10. Saha S, Guiton G, Wimmers PF, Wilkerson L. Student body racial and ethnic composition and diversity-related outcomes in US medical schools. JAMA. 2008;300(10):1135–45.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. LaRiviere MJ, Santos PMG, Jones JA, Lukens JN, Vapiwala N, Swisher-McClure SD, Berman AT. Introducing multidisciplinary oncology management to the medical student. Adv Radiat Oncol. 2019;5(2):289–91.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  12. Mattes MD, Bugarski LA, Wen S, Deville C Jr. Assessment of the medical schools from which radiation oncology residents graduate and implications for diversifying the workforce. Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys. 2020;S0360–3016(20):31259–61.

    Google Scholar 

  13. Ahmed AA, Holliday EB, Ileto J, Yoo SK, Green M, Orman A, Deville C, Jagsi R, Haffty BG, Wilson LD. Close to home: employment outcomes for recent radiation oncology graduates. Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys. 2016;95(3):1017–21.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  14. Kahn JM, Fields EC, Pollom E, Wairiri L, Vapiwala N, Nabavizadeh N, Thomas CR Jr, Jimenez RB, Chandra RA. Increasing medical student engagement through virtual rotations in radiation oncology. Adv Radiat Oncol. 2020;6(1):100538.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  15. Piper CL, Scheel JR, Lee CI, Forman HP. Gender trends in radiology authorship: a 35-year analysis. AJR Am J Roentgenol. 2016 Jan;206(1):3–7.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  16. Chapman CH, Hwang WT, Wang X, Deville C. Factors that predict for representation of women in physician graduate medical education. Med Educ Online. 2019 Dec;24(1):1624132.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  17. Results from the 2020 National Resident Matching Program. https://public.tableau.com/profile/national.resident.matching.program#!/vizhome/PDSurvey2020-Final/Desktoptablet. Accessed 11 Oct 2020.

  18. Vapiwala N, Winkfield KM. The hidden costs of medical education and the impact on oncology workforce diversity. JAMA Oncol. 2018;4(3):289–90. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamaoncol.2017.4533. PMID: 29302685.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  19. Holliday EB, Siker M, Chapman CH, Jagsi R, Bitterman DS, Ahmed AA, Winkfield K, Kelly M, Tarbell NJ, Deville C Jr. Achieving gender equity in the radiation oncology physician workforce. Adv Radiat Oncol. 2018;3(4):478–83.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  20. Allen BJ, Garg K. Diversity matters in academic radiology: acknowledging and addressing unconscious bias. J Am Coll Radiol. 2016;13(12 Pt A):1426–32.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  21. Project Implicit. http://implicit.harvard.edu/implicit/. Accessed 11 Oct 2020.

  22. Moss-Racusin CA, Dovidio JF, Brescoll VL, Graham MJ, Handelsman J. Science faculty’s subtle gender biases favor male students. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2012;109(41):16474–9.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  23. Rao AD, Nicholas SE, Kachniarz B, Hu C, Redmond KJ, Deville C, Wright JL, Page BR, Terezakis S, Viswanathan AN, DeWeese TL, Fivush BA, Alcorn SR. Association of a simulated institutional gender equity initiative with gender-based disparities in medical school faculty salaries and promotions. JAMA Netw Open. 2018;1(8):e186054.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  24. Ginther DK, Haak LL, Schaffer WT, Kington R. Are race, ethnicity, and medical school affiliation associated with NIH R01 type 1 award probability for physician investigators? Acad Med. 2012;87(11):1516–24.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  25. Teherani A, Hauer KE, Fernandez A, King TE Jr, Lucey C. How small differences in assessed clinical performance amplify to large differences in grades and awards: a Cascade with serious consequences for students underrepresented in medicine. Acad Med. 2018;93(9):1286–92.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  26. Ginther DK, Schaffer WT, Schnell J, Masimore B, Liu F, Haak LL, Kington R. Race, ethnicity, and NIH research awards. Science. 2011;333(6045):1015–9.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  27. Ginther DK, Kahn S, Schaffer WT. Gender, race/ethnicity, and National Institutes of Health R01 research awards: is there evidence of a double bind for women of color? Acad Med. 2016;91(8):1098–107.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  28. Hoppe TA, Litovitz A, Willis KA, Meseroll RA, Perkins MJ, Hutchins BI, Davis AF, Lauer MS, Valantine HA, Anderson JM, Santangelo GM. Topic choice contributes to the lower rate of NIH awards to African-American/black scientists. Sci Adv. 2019;5(10):eaaw7238.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  29. Ziegelstein RC, Crews DC. The majority subsidy. Ann Intern Med. 2019;171(11):845–6.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  30. Deville C Jr, Cruickshank I Jr, Chapman CH, Hwang WT, Wyse R, Ahmed AA, Winkfield KM, Thomas CR Jr, Gibbs IC. I can’t breathe: the continued disproportionate exclusion of black physicians in the United States Radiation Oncology Workforce. Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys. 2020;S0360–3016(20):31413–9.

    Google Scholar 

  31. Beeler WH, Cortina LM, Jagsi R. Diving beneath the surface: addressing gender inequities among clinical investigators. J Clin Invest. 2019;129(9):3468–71.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  32. Lightfoote JB, Fielding JR, Deville C, Gunderman RB, Morgan GN, Pandharipande PV, Duerinckx AJ, Wynn RB, Macura KJ. Improving diversity, inclusion, and representation in radiology and radiation oncology part 2: challenges and recommendations. J Am Coll Radiol. 2014;11(8):764–70.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  33. Winkfield KM, Flowers CR, Patel JD, Rodriguez G, Robinson P, Agarwal A, Pierce L, Brawley OW, Mitchell EP, Head-Smith KT, Wollins DS, Hayes DF. American Society of Clinical Oncology strategic plan for increasing racial and ethnic diversity in the oncology workforce. J Clin Oncol. 2017;35(22):2576–9.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  34. Mason BS, Ross W, Ortega G, Chambers MC, Parks ML. Can a strategic pipeline initiative increase the number of women and underrepresented minorities in orthopaedic surgery? Clin Orthop Relat Res. 2016;474(9):1979–85.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  35. Butler PD, Britt LD, Green ML Jr, Longaker MT, Geis WP, Franklin ME Jr, Ruhalter A, Fullum TM. The diverse surgeons initiative: an effective method for increasing the number of under-represented minorities in academic surgery. J Am Coll Surg. 2010;211(4):561–6.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  36. https://www.astro.org/Patient-Care-and-Research/Research/Funding-Opportunities/ASTRO-Minority-Summer-Fellowship-Award. Accessed 11 Oct 2020.

  37. https://www.asco.org/research-guidelines/grants-awards/funding-opportunities/medical-student-rotation-underrepresented-populations. Accessed 11 Oct 2020.

  38. https://www.acr.org/Member-Resources/Medical-Student/Medical-Educator-Hub/PIER-Internship. Accessed 11 Oct 2020.

  39. https://www.hematology.org/awards/medical-student/minority-medical-student-award-program. Accessed 11 Oct 2020.

  40. https://www.aacr.org/professionals/meetings/aacr-travel-grants/aacr-minority-scholar-in-cancer-research-awards/. Accessed 11 Oct 2020.

  41. https://www.aacr.org/professionals/meetings/aacr-travel-grants/women-in-cancer-research-scholar-awards/. Accessed 11 Oct 2020.

  42. https://medschool.duke.edu/about-us/diversity-and-inclusion/office-diversity-inclusion/pipeline-programs/visiting-clinical. Accessed 11 Oct 2020.

  43. Odei B, Das P, Pinnix C, Raval R, Holliday E. Potential implications of the new USMLE step 1 pass/fail format for diversity within radiation oncology. Adv Radiat Oncol. 2020; https://doi.org/10.1016/j.adro.2020.07.001.

  44. Tatem G, Kokas M, Smith CL, DiGiovine B. A feasibility assessment of behavioral-based interviewing to improve candidate selection for a pulmonary and critical care medicine fellowship program. Ann Am Thorac Soc. 2017;14(4):576–83.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  45. Deville C Jr. The suffocating state of physician workforce diversity: why “I can’t breathe”. JAMA Intern Med. 2020;31

    Google Scholar 

  46. https://www.asco.org/research-guidelines/grants-awards/funding-opportunities/resident-travel-award-underrepresented-populations. Accessed 11 Oct 2020.

  47. https://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PA-20-222.html. Accessed 11 Oct 2020.

  48. Doll KM, Thomas CR Jr. Structural solutions for the rarest of the rare - underrepresented-minority faculty in medical subspecialties. N Engl J Med. 2020;383(3):283–5.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  49. https://www.aamc.org/professional-development/affinity-groups/gfa/faculty-vitae/spotlight-elam. Accessed 11 Oct 2020.

  50. https://www.aamc.org/professional-development/leadership-development/minfac. Accessed 11 Oct 2020.

  51. https://www.niddk.nih.gov/research-funding/research-programs/diversity-programs/travel-scholarship-awards/nih-national-medical-association. Accessed 11 Oct 2020.

  52. Chapman CH, Gabeau D, Pinnix CC, Deville C Jr, Gibbs IC, Winkfield KM. Why racial justice matters in radiation oncology. Adv Radiat Oncol. 2020;5(5):783–90.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Radiation Oncology and Molecular Radiation Sciences, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA

    Curtiland Deville Jr.

  2. Department of Radiation Medicine, Knight Cancer Institute, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR, USA

    Charles R. Thomas Jr.

Authors
  1. Curtiland Deville Jr.
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Charles R. Thomas Jr.
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Curtiland Deville Jr. .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Radiation Medicine, Knight Cancer Institute, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR, USA

    Ravi A. Chandra

  2. University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA

    Neha Vapiwala

  3. Department of Radiation Medicine, Knight Cancer Institute, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR, USA

    Charles R. Thomas Jr.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2021 Springer Nature Switzerland AG

About this chapter

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this chapter

Deville, C., Thomas, C.R. (2021). Strategies for Applicants Belonging to Underrepresented Groups. In: Chandra, R.A., Vapiwala, N., Thomas Jr., C.R. (eds) Career Development in Academic Radiation Oncology. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-71855-8_3

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-71855-8_3

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-030-71854-1

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-030-71855-8

  • eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation