Laboratory Workforce Pipeline Efforts Need to Focus on Attracting More Women and Underrepresented Minorities

ASCP’s Diversity and Inclusion Initiative is seeking to broaden awareness of careers in pathology and laboratory medicine among women and underrepresented minorities in the profession.

“Recruiting individuals of all backgrounds is essential in cultivating a vibrant and diverse workforce,” said H. Cliff Sullivan MD, FASCP, Chair of the Diversity and Inclusion Initiative’s Awareness Committee. “It’s important that medical professionals reflect the communities they serve.”

The Awareness Committee is among four work groups the Diversity and Inclusion Initiative has created to achieve this goal. The others focus on mentorship, education and partnerships. 

ASCP Past President Melissa P. Upton, MD, FASCP, who developed the initiative, has noted that an organization needs to have members who represent their patient population in order to more fully understand the particular needs of that population and how to care for its patients.

One of the Awareness Committee’s primary goals is to increase participation in the ASCP Career Ambassador and Pathology Ambassador programs to empower pathologists, laboratory professionals and residents to promote careers in the medical laboratory in their communities. Its members will reach out to active members in the ambassador program to learn more about their experiences and how it can enhance its best practices.

The committee also hopes to broaden the representation through ASCP’s recognition, awards and scholarship programs, as well as voluntary activities, and its members hope to create a diversity and inclusion awareness calendar for members of ASCP. This calendar will help to raise awareness and understanding of widely recognized months and day(s) representing specific groups, cultures or causes.

“By fostering diversity and inclusion in laboratory medicine, we can begin to address disparities and inequities in the workplace, strengthen employee retention and productivity and, ultimately, improve patient outcomes,” Dr. Sullivan said.