Self-identification of gender and race/ethnicity in hematology and oncology journal editorial boards: What is the state of diversity?

Authors

Ivy Riano

Ivy Riano

Norris Cotton Cancer Center, Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, Lebanon, NH

Ivy Riano , Shruti Rajesh Patel , Inas Abuali , Angela Ai , Gabriella Geiger , Jacqueline Pimienta , Adriana Ramirez Roggio , Natasha Dhawan , Nazli Dizman , Alexandra Lizette Salinas , Narjust Duma

Organizations

Norris Cotton Cancer Center, Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, Lebanon, NH, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, Mass General Hospital, Boston, MA, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, WI, Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, Newark, NJ, Universidad Central del Caribe, Bayamon, Puerto Rico, City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center, Duarte, CA, Universidad Autónoma de Guadalajara, Zapopan, Mexico, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA

Research Funding

No funding received

Background: Underrepresentation of women and minorities persists in many aspects of the scholarly publication process as demonstrated by our initial findings presented at ASCO21. Having a gender-balanced and diverse editorial team promotes collaborative work and decreases the publication bias against women. In our initial study, gender and race/ethnicity were determined based on publicly available data. We aimed to add to our study by asking editors to self-report their gender and race to assess the diversity of editors at leading hematology and oncology journals by self-reporting. Methods: We identified 60 journals in oncology, hematology, radiation oncology, and surgical oncology with the highest impact factors. Editors-In-Chief (EiC) and Second-In-Command (SiC) editors (such as deputy, senior and associated editors) were included in the analysis. A demographic survey assessing gender, race/ethnicity, age, and job characteristics was sent to 793 participants via email. Data were analyzed with R software. Results: A total of 66 out of 793 editorial board members responded to the survey. Gender breakdown of respondents was 36 (54.5%) men and 30 (45.8%) women. Most respondents were between the ages of 40 and 60 (69.7%). Thirty-eight (57.6%) of the editors had ≤5 years of editorial experience. Of the 66 respondents, 44 (66.7%) self-identified as non-Hispanic white, followed by 14 (21.2%) as Asian and 3 (4.5%) as Hispanic. Only 1/66 (1.5%) editors self-identified as Black or Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander, and 1/66 (1.5%) did not identify themselves with a racial group. Conclusions: Underrepresented groups in medicine (URM) and women occupied a minority of leadership roles on editorial boards in high-impact hematology and oncology journals. Notably, this study provides new insights into editorial board diversity by using self-reporting as a primary methodology. Limitations of the cross-sectional study is that URM and women are more likely to respond to surveys on diversity, equity, and inclusion potentially skewing the results. Diversity in editorial boards not only can enhance scientific discovery by encouraging submissions from researchers with diverse backgrounds but also promotes career advancement for women and URM.


Editor-In-Chief
Editor-In-Chief
Second-In-Command
Second-In-Command
Self-Reported Editor's Race/EthnicityFemale n (%)
Male n (%)
Female n (%)
Male n (%)
White
3 (100.0)
3 (75.0)
20 (74.1)
18 (56.2)
Black
0 (0.0)
0 (0.0)
0 (0.0)
1 (3.1)
East Asia
0 (0.0)
0 (0.0)
4 (14.8)
5 (15.6)
South Asia
0 (0.0)
0 (0.0)
2 (7.4)
3 (9.4)
Middle Eastern & North Africa
0 (0.0)
1 (25.0)
0 (0.0)
1 (3.1)
Hispanic
0 (0.0)
0 (0.0)
0 (0.0)
3 (9.4)
Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander
0 (0.0)
0 (0.0)
1 (3.7)
0 (0.0)
Do not identify with any racial category
0 (0.0)
0 (0.0)
0 (0.0)
1 (3.1)

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Abstract Details

Meeting

2022 ASCO Annual Meeting

Session Type

Poster Session

Session Title

Professional Development and Education Advances

Track

Medical Education and Professional Development

Sub Track

Workplace Disparities/Issues

Citation

J Clin Oncol 40, 2022 (suppl 16; abstr 11058)

DOI

10.1200/JCO.2022.40.16_suppl.11058

Abstract #

11058

Poster Bd #

249

Abstract Disclosures

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