Using the Rank Equity Index to Measure Emergency Medicine Faculty Rank Progression
Written by Cherri Hobgood, MD and Magali Fassiotto PhD
Faculty diversity is a high-priority goal for academic emergency medicine (EM). Most administrators currently monitor faculty diversity using aggregate data, which may obscure underrepresentation by rank. This article gives reasons for applying the Rank Equity Index (REI) to EM faculty data to assess rank progression as an alternative to using aggregate data. Findings show that Asian women and Black men experience the most rank inequity. REI analysis identifies a need for focused faculty development to enhance the most vulnerable faculty's rank progression, suggesting that targeted recruitment and retention efforts of women faculty of all races/ethnicities and faculty of color, in particular, will improve diversity at every tier of faculty rank.
