Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery

In an equitable society, growing population diversity would be mirrored in the healthcare workforce. However, many specialties fall short regarding gender, racial, and ethnic diversity among providers. Plastic and reconstructive surgery is particularly disproportionate compared to other specialties. This chapter will review current and historical trends in representation in the plastic and reconstructive surgery workforce followed by barriers and solutions to representation. Several institutions have made initial strides towards improvement and have revealed that concerted efforts at gender parity and racial/ethnic diversity can be successful. We propose focusing on the three highlighted areas to implement actionable change in plastic surgery: (1) the pathway to residency matriculation, (2) the surgical culture in which residents are trained, and (3) career-long mentorship and sponsorship. As recently heightened conversations around DEI efforts have been on our national conscious, now is the time to build on individual institutional successes and shift towards action within the specialty on a broader scale. In doing so, we must hold ourselves accountable, push for overdue progress, and closely assess our initiatives to ensure that DEI efforts do not become merely performative.