Representation of Women in Diagnostic Radiology Residency Programs: Does National Institutes of Health Program Ranking Matter?

Abstract

Women are consistently underrepresented in the radiology workforce. The authors examined recent trends in the gender distribution of residents entering diagnostic radiology residency programs. A retrospective review was performed of residents entering US diagnostic radiology residency programs for graduate medical education years 2009 to 2018. Demographic and program data were obtained from the Association of American Medical Colleges GME Track Resident Survey. National Institutes of Health (NIH) ranking was determined according to the Academy for Radiology & Biomedical Imaging Research. Descriptive statistical analyses were performed to evaluate the gender distribution of residents according to residency program ranking. The final analytic sample included 11,788 residents who entered diagnostic radiology residency programs during the study period, of whom 3,245 (27.5%) were women and 8,543 (72.5%) were men. A higher percentage of female residents entered programs ranked in NIH rank group 1st to 20th (351 of 1,185 [29.6%]) than entered programs that were ranked lower than 20th or were unranked (1,540 of 5,819 [26.5%]; P = .026). The present findings confirm repeated reports that women are underrepresented in radiology. The results indicate a need for further study on why a greater proportion of female residents are entering programs with higher NIH rankings. Better understanding of factors and interventions that led to this rise in the percentage of women in higher ranked programs provides an opportunity to expand gender diversity across the field of radiology.