A new study from George Washington University researchers highlights the critical need to disaggregate data on Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) populations in the U.S. health workforce to better understand representation disparities and reduce health disparities.
Although the AANHPI population consists of over 50 ethnicities and speaks more than 100 languages, research and policies usually present them as a single, unified group. This broad categorization can hide important disparities between subgroups, researchers said. Disparities include barriers like leadership underrepresentation, licensing challenges, lack of access to educational pathways and hiring discrimination.
"Disaggregating AANHPI data is essential for understanding workforce disparities and advancing equitable healthcare policies,” said Edward Salsberg, lead research scientist at the GW Milken Institute School of Public Health Fitzhugh Mullan Institute for Health Workforce Equity. “Without it, we risk perpetuating structural inequalities that leave certain communities behind.”
This research was led by Salsberg and Emmeline Ha, first author and assistant professor in the Division of Family Medicine at the GW School of Medicine and Health Sciences and others at the Mullan Institute.
Although the AANHPI population is well represented in health professions overall, significant disparities exist, with Native Hawaiians, Pacific Islanders and certain Southeast Asians underrepresented in key healthcare roles. The study documents the general underrepresentation of the AANHPI population in behavioral health professions, which may limit access to culturally sensitive mental health services.
Researchers emphasize that the Office of Management and Budget’s 2024 update to racial and ethnic data collection standards is a step in the right direction. However, policy makers, healthcare institutions and researchers must ensure that these standards are implemented consistently to drive meaningful policy changes and improve health equity, they said.
Prior publications from the Mullan Institute documented underrepresentation in health professions for Black and Latino Americans. Other studies have documented the impact of underrepresentation on health disparities. This new paper identifies significant gaps for Asian American population groups as well.
The study, "Asian American, Native Hawaiian, And Pacific Islander Population Group Representation In The US Health Workforce“ was published March 3 in Health Affairs.
