Representation of minorities in European neurosurgical leadership
Introduction: Ethnic diversity has significantly increased within European countries since World War II for several reasons. However, there continues to be a contrasting lag in leadership positions within healthcare circles, and neurosurgery is no exception. Under-representation of minorities is a c...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2023-01-01
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| Series: | Brain and Spine |
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| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2772529423000760 |
| _version_ | 1797398938259554304 |
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| author | Fozia Saeed Tijana Ilic Makinah Haq Gargi Sarmath Nikolaos Syrmos Andrew F. Alalade Silvia Hernández-Durán |
| author_facet | Fozia Saeed Tijana Ilic Makinah Haq Gargi Sarmath Nikolaos Syrmos Andrew F. Alalade Silvia Hernández-Durán |
| author_sort | Fozia Saeed |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Introduction: Ethnic diversity has significantly increased within European countries since World War II for several reasons. However, there continues to be a contrasting lag in leadership positions within healthcare circles, and neurosurgery is no exception. Under-representation of minorities is a contributory factor to recurring problems of healthcare inequality. Research question: The European Association of Neurosurgical Societies (EANS) Diversity Committee (DC) set out to examine trends in underrepresented minority (URM) representation in leadership positions across Europe. Material and methods: Data on the race and ethnicity of departmental heads across the units in the European nations was collated. We defined the term ‘ethnic minority’ in line with the criteria set by the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI). The percentage of URM among the European neurosurgical units was analysed against the demographics of the respective countries to assess whether there was a corresponding association. Results: The percentage of URM representation was low across most European countries. Countries with the highest immigration rates e.g. Great Britain and Germany had the highest rates of representation within the neurosurgical leadership in comparison to other countries. The Balkan states had zero rates of URM representation within the neurosurgical leadership. Discussion and conclusion: Our findings demonstrate that URM representation in neurosurgical leadership across European countries is significantly low. Selection policies, training curricula and recruitment processes aimed at improving health inequality are necessary. Further studies are needed to elucidate the factors contributing to the low participation of URM in neurosurgical leadership. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T01:33:45Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-f4c3cae5277d4ab09ccab947f71484c4 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2772-5294 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T01:33:45Z |
| publishDate | 2023-01-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Brain and Spine |
| spelling | doaj.art-f4c3cae5277d4ab09ccab947f71484c42023-12-09T06:09:09ZengElsevierBrain and Spine2772-52942023-01-013101788Representation of minorities in European neurosurgical leadershipFozia Saeed0Tijana Ilic1Makinah Haq2Gargi Sarmath3Nikolaos Syrmos4Andrew F. Alalade5Silvia Hernández-Durán6Department of Neurosurgery, Leeds General Infirmary, Leeds, LS1 3EX, United KingdomNational Department of Neurosurgery, Center Hospitalier de Luxembourg, LuxembourgKing's College London, Strand Campus, Strand, London, WC2R 2LS, United KingdomDepartment of Surgery, University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust, United KingdomAristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Macedonia, GreeceDepartment of Neurosurgery, Royal Preston Hospital, Preston, PR2 9HT, United Kingdom; Corresponding author. Department of Neurosurgery, Royal Preston Hospital, Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Preston, PR2 9HT, United Kingdom.Department of Neurosurgery, Gottingen University Hospital, Gottingen, GermanyIntroduction: Ethnic diversity has significantly increased within European countries since World War II for several reasons. However, there continues to be a contrasting lag in leadership positions within healthcare circles, and neurosurgery is no exception. Under-representation of minorities is a contributory factor to recurring problems of healthcare inequality. Research question: The European Association of Neurosurgical Societies (EANS) Diversity Committee (DC) set out to examine trends in underrepresented minority (URM) representation in leadership positions across Europe. Material and methods: Data on the race and ethnicity of departmental heads across the units in the European nations was collated. We defined the term ‘ethnic minority’ in line with the criteria set by the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI). The percentage of URM among the European neurosurgical units was analysed against the demographics of the respective countries to assess whether there was a corresponding association. Results: The percentage of URM representation was low across most European countries. Countries with the highest immigration rates e.g. Great Britain and Germany had the highest rates of representation within the neurosurgical leadership in comparison to other countries. The Balkan states had zero rates of URM representation within the neurosurgical leadership. Discussion and conclusion: Our findings demonstrate that URM representation in neurosurgical leadership across European countries is significantly low. Selection policies, training curricula and recruitment processes aimed at improving health inequality are necessary. Further studies are needed to elucidate the factors contributing to the low participation of URM in neurosurgical leadership.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2772529423000760NeurosurgeryDiversityEthnic minorityLeadershipRepresentation |
| spellingShingle | Fozia Saeed Tijana Ilic Makinah Haq Gargi Sarmath Nikolaos Syrmos Andrew F. Alalade Silvia Hernández-Durán Representation of minorities in European neurosurgical leadership Brain and Spine Neurosurgery Diversity Ethnic minority Leadership Representation |
| title | Representation of minorities in European neurosurgical leadership |
| title_full | Representation of minorities in European neurosurgical leadership |
| title_fullStr | Representation of minorities in European neurosurgical leadership |
| title_full_unstemmed | Representation of minorities in European neurosurgical leadership |
| title_short | Representation of minorities in European neurosurgical leadership |
| title_sort | representation of minorities in european neurosurgical leadership |
| topic | Neurosurgery Diversity Ethnic minority Leadership Representation |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2772529423000760 |
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