MI-RADS: An Innovative Mentorship Initiative to Improve Gender Disparity in Application to Diagnostic Radiology

Application of female medical students to diagnostic radiology remains disproportionately low.^1,2 While application patterns vary nationally, female medical students remain only 23.1% to 30.5% of all applicants to diagnostic radiology (Table 1). Mentorship of medical students has been identified as a potential initiative to increase interest in and application to various specialties, particularly among medical students who have been historically underrepresented.^1-3

Table 1.

Percentage of Female Applicants to Diagnostic Radiology Postgraduate Medical Education Programs.

Region of Postgraduate Medical Education Programs	Percentage of Female Applicants a
	2018	2019	2020	2021	2022
Eastern Canada, %	23.3	26.1	37.0	26.3	23.7
Ontario, %	36.7	42.6	41.6	38.3	29.0
Quebec, %	28.7	37.4	39.7	35.8	30.5
Western Canada, %	20.4	27.0	35.2	25.8	23.1

^aCalculated as the number of female applicants divided by all applicants to diagnostic radiology postgraduate medical education programs in the CaRMS R-1 main residency match in each region multiplied by 100%. Data obtained directly from CaRMS.

We developed an innovative mentorship initiative entitled MI-RADS: Mentorship in Radiology (MI-RADS) within our large, academic diagnostic radiology department to improve gender disparity in application to diagnostic radiology at our institution. This innovative mentorship initiative is resident led and faculty supported. MI-RADS encompasses informational and networking events as well as longitudinal mentorship.

An inaugural open house for MI-RADS was held virtually on May 10^th, 2022. Approximately 75 medical students participated. The event featured several female faculty from our institution who discussed their careers in diagnostic radiology and various radiology subspecialties. The open house was followed by two virtual flash mentoring sessions which facilitated the opportunity for medical students to directly interact with and to pose questions to the speakers. ⁴

Longitudinal mentorship is facilitated by MI-RADS through multiple mentorship pods. Each mentorship pod is composed of 2 radiology residents, 1 faculty, and 4 to 6 medical students. Mentorship pods meet iteratively throughout the academic year both formally and informally to foster a community of support among medical students interested in diagnostic radiology with a particular emphasis on female medical students. Approximately 40 medical students from all 4 distributed sites of our institution participated in the initial year of the program.

Qualitative feedback received suggests that the development of this innovative mentorship initiative has been positively received and that MI-RADS may serve as a framework for the development of similar mentorship initiatives in diagnostic radiology departments at other institutions. Ongoing assessment of this innovative mentorship initiative is required. Over the next 3 years MI-RADS will collate application data from our institution to ensure that intended outcomes of this innovative mentorship initiative are manifested.