A diverse workforce is critical to providing high-quality, equitable neurologic care. Many neurologic conditions disproportionately affect Black and Latinx people, but these populations have limited access to neurologic care.1,2 Although healthcare disparities can be reduced with a diverse workforce,3-7 just 2.8% of neurologists are Black and 7.2% are Latinx, compared with the most recent US census with 12.8% of individuals identifying as Black and 18.4% as Latinx.8,9 The gap also exists at the trainee level; 4.4% of neurology residents are Black and 7.2% are Latinx.10 Recruitment of an inclusive residency class is paramount to addressing these inequities.3,5,7,11 A record of 42,508 medical students and physicians applied for residency positions in the United States in 2020–2021, as the application season moved to a virtual format because of the COVID-1912 pandemic. Future residency application seasons will likely be a hybrid of in-person and virtual recruitment. This change presents both unique opportunities and challenges for the recruitment of a diverse and inclusive residency class.13
Footnotes
Go to Neurology.org/N for full disclosures. Funding information and disclosures deemed relevant by the authors, if any, are provided at the end of the article.
- © 2021 American Academy of Neurology
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