About
Disparities and inequities within the U.S. health system have existed for decades with poorer health outcomes and shorter life expectancies well-documented among Black, Latinx, and Native American people. COVID-19 and the national discussion around racism has highlighted how structural factors contribute to health disparities. One factor that may contribute to health disparities is the underrepresentation of Black, Latinx, and Native American people in most health professions, particularly those requiring advanced education. While some schools, professions and states have made efforts to increase diversity in health professions, only limited progress has been made.
The Fitzhugh Mullan Institute for Health Workforce Equity is committed to conducting research and policy analysis to promote greater equity in health care and society. The Health Workforce Diversity Tracker monitors progress (or lack thereof) toward the goal of greater racial and ethnic parity in the health workforce through four major components:
- The collection and analysis of data on the diversity of the health workforce with a focus on the educational pipeline;
- Dissemination of the data and findings, including “report cards” for states, professions, and institutions, publications, and interactive website;
- Support for research on the impact of interventions/strategies to increase diversity; and
- Advocacy through targeted distribution of the findings and convening of organizations and groups supportive of the goal of more racial and ethnic parity in the health workforce.
The Diversity Tracker covers the full range of health occupations, from front-line workers to physicians.
“Diversity Index” is defined as the ratio of the percentage of graduates (or practitioners) in a health profession compared to the percentage of individuals in the population of that race/ethnicity.
This tool will increase visibility around current deficiencies in racial and ethnic parity in health professions and educational programs. The tracking and dissemination activities are designed to encourage individual educational programs, states, health professions associations, and private philanthropy to take more aggressive actions to increase diversity in health professions and achieve greater equity.
Current Research
Project Contacts
- Project Lead: Anushree Vichare
- Project Lead: Toyese Oyeyemi
Funders
The Josiah Macy Jr. Foundation is the only national foundation dedicated solely to improving the education of health professionals. Their guiding principle is that health professional education has at its core a strong social mission: to serve the public’s needs and improve the health of the public. The Macy Foundation fosters innovation in clinical learning environments by investing in three areas:
- Promoting Diversity, Equity, and Belonging
- Increasing Collaboration Among Future Health Professionals
- Preparing Future Health Professionals to Navigate Ethical Dilemmas
The California Endowment’s mission is to expand access to affordable, quality health care for underserved individuals and communities and to promote fundamental improvements in the health status of all Californians. their vision is a “California for All” that leads the nation as a powerful and conscientious voice for wellness, inclusion, and shared prosperity. In support of this, they will invest in three bold ideas in the decade to come:
- People Power
- Reimagined Public Institutions
- A 21st century “Health for All” System
California Healthcare Foundation
The California Health Care Foundation is an independent, nonprofit philanthropy that works to improve the health care system so that all Californians have the care they need. We focus especially on making sure the system works for Californians with low incomes and for communities who have traditionally faced the greatest barriers to care.