Racial, ethnic, sex, and subspecialty demographic composition of initial fellow of the Fellow of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (FASCO) recipients through 2024.

Abstract

9043 Background: Disparities in cancer care, including underrepresentation in the healthcare workforce, leadership, and recognition, remain a significant challenge. The Fellow of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (FASCO) designation honors individuals for their commitment to ASCO, the largest clinical oncology organization in the world. In 2022, the FASCO selection process transitioned to a more transparent, merit-based system requiring 100 points for FASCO designation. However, recipient demographics of FASCO recipients remain largely unexplored. Methods: All FASCO recipients through 2024 were identified and reviewed using publicly available data from the ASCO website, documenting name, degree, and award year. Providers with National Provider Identifiers were linked to Medicare Part B data. Race, ethnicity, sex, specialty, medical school graduation year, and fellowship graduation year were verified or determined through Medicare data and website reviews. Analyses included Pearson’s chi-squared test, Fisher’s exact test, and the Mann-Kendall trend test. Results: Among 644 FASCO recipients, 400 (62%) are male, 244 (38%) are female, 540 (84%) are White, 20 (3.1%) are Black, and 616 (96%) have non-Hispanic ethnicity. Medical oncologists constituted 512 (80%) of recipients, followed by 43 radiation oncologists (6.7%), 25 surgical oncologists (3.9%), and 64 (9.9%) from various specialties and professions, including pediatric and gynecological oncology, family practice, palliative care, radiology, urology, oral oncology, software engineering, non-profits, health policy, social work, research, and patient advocacy. The average time in practice before FASCO designation is 23 years. Between 2007 and 2024, FASCO awards increased significantly in both overall number and diversity, with non-White recipients rising from 16.1% to 22.7% (p < 0.001), Hispanic recipients from 4.3% to 13% (p < 0.001), and female recipients from 38% to 49% (p = 0.003). Following the 2022 selection change, recipient diversity improved, with 25.5% non-White recipients, 7.8% Hispanic recipients, and near gender parity achieved (122 men, 121 women, p < 0.001) from 2022 to 2024. Conclusions: In this first definitive review of FASCO recipients, nearly two-thirds of recipients are male, 84% are white, and 80% are medical oncologists. Over time, the diversity of recipients in terms of gender, race, and ethnicity has gradually improved, accelerated by the implementation of a more transparent, merit-based system in 2022. These changes in the FASCO selection process have significantly enhanced diversity among recipients, highlighting the critical role equitable and transparent practices play in promoting diversity and inclusion within professional organizations.