A diversity index to measure underrepresented minority enrollment in United States colleges and schools of pharmacy

Introduction: With an underrepresented minority (URM) student population of <20%, colleges and schools of pharmacy (CoPs) in the United States (US) lag behind the national population, in which URMs account for >30%. Few tools are available to assist the >140 US CoPs in tracking progress in URM diversity among student pharmacists. Thus, the study's purpose was to address this gap by: (1) creating a “diversity index” for pharmacy programs; and (2) determining changes in diversity index scores between 2011 and 2020. Methods: This was a secondary analysis of 2011–2020 fall URM enrollment data for CoPs and national and state population data. The annual diversity index score for 2011–2020 was calculated for each CoP. Wilcoxon signed-rank tests and Mann-Whitney U tests were conducted. Results: Among all CoPs, median URM percent enrollment significantly increased from 7.7% in 2011 to 14.5% in 2020. Median diversity index scores for all CoPs increased from 0.66 in 2011 to 0.76 in 2020, but this change was not statistically significant. Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs) had significantly greater diversity index scores than non-HBCUs/HSIs. Diversity index scores of public vs. private colleges did not differ significantly. Conclusion: This diversity index represents an important step in tracking progress in increasing URM student pharmacist representation in CoPs. The index may be utilized as a tool to support development of diversity best practices and more inclusive environments for student pharmacists, faculty, staff, and stakeholders.