Journal of Hospital Medicine Affirms Dedication to Diversity and Inclusion through Data Collection Initiative

Gender, Race and Ethnicity Data to Help Assess and Improve Representation in Academic Medicine

The Journal of Hospital Medicine (JHM), the official peer-reviewed journal of the Society of Hospital Medicine (SHM), revealed a new data collection initiative to inform improved representation in academic medicine. Because studies have shown that women and racial and ethnic minorities remain underrepresented in academic leadership positions, the JHM editorial team, led by Editor-in-Chief, Samir S. Shah, MD, MSCE, MHM, chose to request data on gender, race and ethnicity of all authors, reviewers and editors on a voluntary basis.

“At the Journal of Hospital Medicine, we are committed to leading by example and developing approaches to create equity in all facets of leadership and authorship,” notes Dr. Shah. “The first step towards progress is to assess the current representation of women and racial and ethnic minorities in our journal community.”

Until now, JHM, and many other journals, have not implemented any strategies to address disparities in peer review and authorship. Beginning today, all authors, reviewers and editors are requested to update their journal accounts to ensure their demographic information is up-to-date to better inform outreach efforts and promote diversity among all contributors to the journal. This data will not inform the manuscript peer review or editorial decision-making process. Rather, this will allow the editorial team to review the aggregate data to assess its own inclusiveness and take steps to close any identified gaps.

“We are committed to equity in providing opportunities for academic advancement across the journal community,” explains Dr. Shah. “Different perspectives strengthen our journal and will help us continue to advance the field of hospital medicine.” 

Click here to read the editorial announcing this initiative and visit www.journalofhospitalmedicine.com for more information about the Journal of Hospital Medicine.  

About the Journal of Hospital Medicine:

The Journal of Hospital Medicine is the premier, ISI-indexed publication for the specialty of hospital medicine and official journal of the Society of Hospital Medicine. Published by Frontline Medical Communications, the journal advances excellence in hospital medicine as a defined specialty through the dissemination of research, evidence-based clinical care, and advocacy of safe, effective care for hospitalized patients. For more information, please visit www.journalofhospitalmedicine.com and follow the Journal of Hospital Medicine on Twitter @JHospMedicine

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