Investing in Representation: Advancing Equity Through GME

In the landscape of Graduate Medical Education (GME), Inclusion and Diversity (I&D) is not a peripheral effort. It is foundational to building a healthcare workforce capable of meeting the evolving needs of the communities it serves. Observances such as Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month offer a timely opportunity to not only recognize the cultural contributions of these communities, but also to examine the persistent disparities they face in health outcomes and healthcare access.

Why Representation Matters

Health outcomes for AAPI populations reveal a stark truth: AAPI communities face significant health disparities. Recent federal health-disparities data show that Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander people continue to experience disproportionately high diabetes mortality, more than twice the rate of the U.S. population overall (2022 age-adjusted mortality data). For mental health, Asian American adults remain less likely to receive treatment; in 2024, Asian American adults were 45% less likely than U.S. adults overall to have received mental health treatment in the past year. These figures underscore a troubling reality: systemic gaps in care persist, often fueled by cultural, linguistic, and structural barriers.

One of the most effective ways to close these gaps is to invest in representative care. Patients are more likely to engage with providers who understand their cultural context, speak their language, and reflect their lived experiences. This level of trust and understanding enhances the patient-provider relationship, improves adherence to care plans, and leads to better outcomes and greater satisfaction.

Understanding the Nuances Within AAPI Representation

AAMC’s most recent physician workforce dashboard continues to show that Asian physicians comprise a sizable share of the U.S. physician workforce overall, while Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander (NHPI) physicians remain a fraction of the workforce, highlighting how aggregated ‘AAPI’ numbers can obscure underrepresentation of NHPI communities. These disparities are often masked by aggregating diverse ethnic groups under a single umbrella. The AAPI designation includes approximately 50 distinct ethnic identities, and it is critical that recruitment and workforce development strategies acknowledge and reflect this complexity. Recent studies using disaggregated subgroup data show that some Asian American communities, such as Cambodian American and Filipino American, remain consistently underrepresented in medicine and in selective residency pathways, even when overall ‘Asian’ representation appears high.

The Strategic Role of GME

GME sits at a pivotal intersection where academic medicine meets workforce development. It is here that institutions have the opportunity and responsibility to shape a more inclusive future. That begins with intentional recruitment practices, informed by workforce data and aligned with community health needs, but recruitment alone is not enough.

To retain and support diverse talent, GME leaders must foster inclusive learning environments where all trainees feel seen, valued, and empowered. This includes structured mentorship, culturally responsive curricula, and clear pathways for advancement. Psychological safety, cultural humility, and identity affirmation should be embedded into the fabric of institutional culture.

AAPI Heritage Month as a Strategic Imperative

While AAPI Heritage Month invites reflection, it also presents a strategic call to action. GME institutions can drive real change by:

• Leveraging workforce data to identify gaps and opportunities

• Partnering with AAPI-serving undergraduate and pre-medical programs

• Developing mentorship pipelines that support early exposure and long-term success

• Prioritizing psychological safety and well-being for all trainees

I&D is not a standalone initiative. It is an integrated approach to achieving excellence in medical education and healthcare delivery. As GME institutions look to the future, aligning recruitment, retention, and support strategies with community needs will remain essential to building a more equitable and effective physician workforce.