Connecting Underrepresented Medical Students to Resources and Role Models in Orthopaedic Surgery: A Virtual Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility Summit

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: Limited access to resources and stereotypes about orthopaedic surgeons may contribute to the low percentage of women and people of underrepresented in medicine (URiM) backgrounds in orthopaedic surgery. Several organizations have created resources to address these barriers, but medical students are unlikely to be exposed to the initiatives through traditional curricula. The purpose of this study was to (1) evaluate the ability of a 1-day virtual Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (DEIA) summit to effectively reach URiM medical students, (2) increase medical students' knowledge of DEIA resources, and (3) augment the perception of diverse backgrounds in orthopaedic surgery. METHODS: A 1-day nationwide virtual summit was convened in October 2023. The summit invited residents and faculty leaders of diversity-focused orthopaedic organizations to speak with students in panel discussions and topic-focused breakout rooms. Pre- and postsummit surveys were used to determine whether the summit met the three goals. RESULTS: One hundred ninety-six medical students attended the summit. One hundred seventy-four surveys were received presummit, 106 surveys were received postsummit, and 60 students completed both. Most of the participants were female (n = 109, 63.0%), and many represented URiM backgrounds (n = 70, 41.7%). Postsummit, a notable number of survey respondents increased their knowledge about diversity-related opportunities (3.3% to 40%, P < 0.001). Participants who felt that their identity was welcome in orthopaedics nearly quadrupled from presummit (16.7%) to postsummit (63.3%) ( P < 0.001), and the likelihood of recommending orthopaedic surgery to another medical student from an URiM demographic increased by 58.6% ( P < 0.001). Among the 135 students who did not initially feel that their identity was welcome in the field of orthopaedic surgery, 124 (91.9%) rated changing stereotypes of the field as important to their decision to pursue a career in orthopaedics. CONCLUSIONS: This study supports the ability for virtual summits to reach URiM students, increase their knowledge of DEIA resources, and augment their perceptions of diversity in orthopaedics. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: IV.