BRIDGING THE GAP - EARLY COMMUNITY OUTREACH AS AN INITIATIVE TO INCREASE REPRESENTATION IN RADIOLOGY

Rationale and objectives: Underrepresentation of minorities is a worsening issue in the field of radiology. Early educational interventions are a promising approach to mitigating this disparity. We present an approach for a radiology department to increase community outreach via establishment of an educational program for local public high school students and building a mentorship pipeline for radiology education.

Materials and methods: The department of radiology committee for Inclusion Diversity and Equity (IDE), in collaboration with the Office of Outreach, Education and Research (OER), invited yearly cohorts of 25 and 24 public high school students in 2022 and 2023, respectively, to an on-site educational event featuring rotating small group hands-on workshops in a multi-stage format. The event inspired students to consider various careers in radiology and their corresponding academic pathways after high school. Post-workshop surveys featuring Likert scale and open-ended questions were administered to collect student reflections and feedback. Analysis was conducted to assess student understanding, interest in radiological careers, and opportunities for future event improvements. Longitudinal mentorship was established between students and point-persons to provide continued career guidance.

Results: For two consecutive cohort years, the program received high scores on clarity of presentations and increased student awareness of opportunities within radiology. Standout positive elements included interactive sessions, hands-on activities, and the discovery of radiology as a collaborative field. Of the initial student group, one student went on to enroll in a radiography program. To date, five participants have returned for shadowing experiences, three of whom are currently enrolled in science undergraduate programs, including one pre-medical student.

Conclusion: We present an accessible and effective approach for a radiology department to collaboratively increase community outreach and improve minority representation through early educational programming and establishing a longitudinal pipeline mentorship program for public high school students.