Implications of increasing publication trends in dermatology on individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds and those without a home dermatology program

Diversity in pediatric dermatology: A report from the Pediatric Dermatology Research Alliance and a call to action

“…Although representation of URM authors was not evaluated, suggestion has been made that equivalent or more impactful publications authored by URM scientists are less likely to receive the notoriety of those published by their non‐URM peers 15,16 . URM dermatology residency applicants are also likely disproportionately disadvantaged by the increasing average number of research publications per matched applicant given that many of these publications result from close mentorship and/or unpaid research years 17,18 . In fact, a survey of medical students from 28 medical schools conducted in 2017 found that minority students reported socioeconomic factors and lack of mentors as major barriers to applying for dermatology residency 19 .…”

Reply to “A guide for medical students and trainees to find virtual mentorship in the COVID era and beyond”

“…Because most osteopathic medical schools lack home dermatology residencies compared with their allopathic counterparts (Table I), many medical students do not have direct access to research or rotation opportunities that can nurture relationships with potential mentors, program directors, or department chairs prior to their third and fourth years of medical school, when clinical rotations begin. 4 In addition to the recommendations listed by Fernandez et al 1 in Fig 1, structured mentorship programs should eliminate particular application requirements (Table II), such as licensing examination scores, established mentorship, and LORs from residency faculty. 1 We recommend a holistic review process that blinds the applicant's home institution details, in addition to allowing LORs from relevant professionals who can speak about the mentee's character and accomplishments.…”