Can enhanced workforce divesrity in genomics lower health disparities in genetic care?

The growing diversity of the nation has major implications for the provision of healthcare practices. The Institute of Medicine report, Unequal Access, concluded that prejudice and bias are among the main culprits of health disparities. The Sullivan Commission illustrated that minorities are vastly under-represented among healthcare providers limiting their ability to provide culturally and linguistically competent care, as well as serve medically underserved areas.

African Americans, Hispanics and American Indians, currently constituting almost a third of Americans, consistently remain only meagerly represented among genetic counselors, medical geneticists, and genetic nurses at a level far under that seen in other health professions. This trend may contribute to documented disparities in genomic care emerging from the preventive nature of interventions, complexity and sensitivity of information and financial, geographical and linguistic access considerations.

To explore diversity within genetic counselors surveys were sent out to all members of the National Society of Genetic Counselors (NSGC), in conjunction with a bi-annual membership survey in 1999. Twenty forced-choice questions covered issues of ethnic/racial and religious demographics, gender, disability and sexual orientation as they pertain to perceived discrimination, recruitment strategies, and professional status. The survey was addressed by 904 (53% response rate). Findings illuminate disparities not only in successful recruitment of minorities into the genetic counseling profession but also a critical lack of diversity within NSGC leadership and a professional climate that is viewed as inhospitable by members of underrepresented backgrounds. The survey's results have not been published to date and no such surveys were conducted since.