Disparities Among Medical Students Interested in Ophthalmology at Matriculation and Graduation

Purpose: Ophthalmology is one of the least diverse specialties in the U.S., but disparities in medical student interest in the field are unknown. We aim to identify demographic and socioeconomic factors associated with U.S. medical students’ interest in pursuing ophthalmology at matriculation and graduation. Study Design: Retrospective cross-sectional and cohort study of U.S. medical students who completed the American Association of Medical Colleges (AAMC) Matriculating Student Questionnaire (MSQ) or Graduation Questionnaire (GQ) survey between 2013 and 2022. We compared factors such as age, sex, race, ethnicity, parent income, and debt between students interested in ophthalmology versus other specialties on the MSQ and GQ. For students who completed both questionnaires, we examined factors associated with losing or gaining interest in ophthalmology. Results: 134,723 and 98,628 students completed the MSQ and GQ respectively. At matriculation, female (OR 0.6, P Conclusions: Gender, racial, and socioeconomic disparities in student interest in ophthalmology begin before and persist during medical school, with female, Black, Hispanic, and debt-holding students being less likely to pursue ophthalmology. Efforts to diversify the ophthalmology workforce may benefit from interventions focused on medical students.