Someone Like Me: An Examination of the Importance of Race-Concordant Mentorship in Urology

• Published in: Urology (Ridgewood, N.J.) N.J.), 2023-01, Vol.171, p.41-48
• Main Authors: Penaloza, Natalia Garcia, E. Zaila Ardines, Kassandra, Does, Serena, Washington, Samuel L., Tandel, Megha D., Braddock, Clarence H., Downs, Tracy M., Saigal, Christopher, Ghanney Simons, Efe Chantal
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Cross-Sectional Studies; Ethnicity; Humans; Mentors; Students, Medical; Urology
• ISSN: 0090-4295; 1527-9995
• DOI: 10.1016/j.urology.2022.08.059

To describe differences in urology mentorship exposure for medical students across race/ethnicity and to explore how much potential mentees valued the importance of race-concordant mentorship. All medical students at UCLA received a cross-sectional survey. Dependent variables were perceived quality of mentorship in urology and association between race-concordant mentorship and perceived importance of race-concordant mentorship. Mentors were self-selected by medical students. Variables were compared across race/ethnicity using descriptive statistics and multivariate analyses. Subset analyses looking at race-concordance between mentor and student was performed using stratified Cochran-Mantel-Haenszel tests. This was performed to determine if there were differences, across race/ethnicity, in rating of importance of having a race-concordant mentor. The likelihood of having a urologist as a mentor was similar across race/ethnicity. Under-Represented in Medicine (URiM) students were more likely to report that having a mentor of the same race/ethnicity was extremely important (Asian 9%, Black 58%, Latinx 55% and White 3%, P < .001) compared to their non-URiM peers who were more likely to rate having a race-concordant mentor as not at all important (Asian 34%, Black 5%, Latinx 8%, White 79%, P < .001). URiM students with race-concordant mentors were still more likely to rate having a mentor of the same race/ethnicity as extremely/very important (73%) compared to their non-URiM peers (9%, P = .001). URiM students with race-discordant mentors also rated importance of mentors of the same race/ethnicity as extremely/very important (67%) compared to their non-URiM peers (11%, P = .006). URiM medical students regard race-concordant mentorship as extremely important. Interventions addressing mentor racial/ethnic concordance and those promoting culturally responsive mentorship may optimize recruitment of URiM students into urology.