​Summary: Study authors describe the perception of professional climate in health services and policy research (HSPR) and efforts to advance diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in the HSPR workforce and workplaces. They administered the HSPR Workplace Culture Survey online to health services and policy researchers.

The HSPR Workplace Culture Survey examined participants' sociodemographic, educational, and professional backgrounds, their perception on DEI in HSPR, experience with DEI initiatives, feeling of inclusion, and direct and witnessed experiences of discrimination at their institutions/organizations. Authors calculated sample proportions of responses by gender identity, sexual orientation, race/ethnicity, and disability status and compared them with Fisher's exact test.

Researchers administered the survey online from July 28 to September 4, 2020. HSPR professionals and trainees ages18 and older were eligible to participate. Analyses used complete cases only.

Findings: The study showed that 53.4% of the participants did not believe that the current workforce reflects the diversity of communities impacted by HSPR. Although most participants have witnessed various DEI initiatives at their institutions/organizations, nearly 40% characterized these initiatives as “tokenistic.” Larger proportions of participants who identified as female, LGBQI+, underrepresented racial/ethnic groups, and those with a disability held this perception than their male, heterosexual, white, and nondisabled counterparts. Current DEI initiatives focused on “planning” activities (e.g., convening task forces) rather than “implementation” activities (e.g., establishing mentoring or network programs). Also, 43.7% of the participants felt supported in their career development, while female, Black, Hispanic/Latino, LGBQI+ participants and those with a disability experienced discrimination at their workplace.

Despite an increasing commitment to increasing the diversity of the HSPR workforce and improving equity and inclusion in the HSPR workplace, these results suggest that there is more work to be done to achieve such goals.

UCLA Center Director Ninez A. Ponce and the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research provided guidance and other logistical support for this article. 
 

Read the Publication:

• Journal Article: Perceptions of Workplace Climate and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Within Health Services and Policy Research