The State of Skin of Color Centers in the United States: A Cross-Sectional Survey Study
Skin of color centers (SoCCs) in the United States have helped increase the racial/ethnic diversity of and cultivate cultural competence in practicing dermatologists as well as increase skin of color (SoC) research and education to improve patient care. The objective of this cross-sectional survey study was to provide an in-depth analysis of SoCCs and SoC specialty clinics (SoCSCs) in the United States, including their patient care focus, research, and program diversity. As the US population diversifies, it is important to highlight the programmatic, research, and educational work of existing SoCCs so that they can continue to be supported and so efforts are made to encourage the establishment of future centers at academic medical institutions across the United States.
Practice Points
- Skin of color centers in the United States work to reverse the paucity of research, education, and training in skin of color dermatology and promote the diversification of residents and faculty.
- Skin of color centers expand access to culturally competent and inclusive care for diverse patient populations.
Although individuals with skin of color (SoC) are expected to become at least half of the US population by the year 2044, there remains a paucity of education and exposure to treatment of patients with SoC at many dermatology residency programs across the country.1 One way to improve SoC education has been the formation of specialized clinics, centers, and programs. The first SoC center (SoCC) was established in 1999 at Mount Sinai–St. Luke’s Roosevelt in New York, New York2; since then, at least 13 additional formal SoCCs or SoC specialty clinics (SoCSCs) at US academic dermatology programs have been established.
Skin of color centers serve several important purposes: they improve dermatologic care in patients with SoC, increase research efforts focused on SoC dermatologic conditions, and educate dermatology resident and fellow trainees about SoC. Improving dermatologic care of patients with SoC in the United States is important in providing equitable health care and improving health disparities. Studies have shown that patient-physician racial and cultural concordance can positively impact patient care, increase patient trust and rapport, and improve patient-physician communication, and it can even influence patient decision-making to seek care.3,4 Unfortunately, even though the US population continues to diversify, the racial/ethnic backgrounds of dermatologists do not parallel this trend; Hispanic and Black physicians comprise 18.9% and 13.6% of the general population, respectively, but represent only 4.2% and 3.0% of dermatologists, respectively.5-7 This deficit is mirrored by resident and faculty representation, with Black and Latino representation ranging from 3% to 7%.8-10
Many SoCC’s engage in research focused on dermatologic conditions affecting patients with SoC, which is vital to improving the dermatologic care in this underserved population. Despite increasing recognition of the importance of SoC research, there remains a paucity of clinical trials and research specifically focused on or demonstrating equitable representation of SoC.11,12
The education and training of future dermatologists is another important area that can be improved by SoCCs. A 2008 study involving 63 chief residents showed that approximately half (52.4% [33/63]) of graduating dermatology residents reported receiving SoC-specific didactics, sessions, or lectures, and 30.2% (19/63) reported having a dedicated rotation where they gained specific experience treating patients with SoC.13 A later study in 2022 (N=125) found that 63.2% of graduating dermatology residents reported receiving SoC-specific didactics, sessions, or lectures, and only 11.2% reported having a dedicated rotation where they gained experience treating patients with SoC.14 These findings suggest that in the last 14 years, formal SoC education—specifically SoC clinical training—has not increased sufficiently.
We conducted a cross-sectional survey study to provide an in-depth analysis of SoCCs and SoCSCs in the United States, including their patient care focus, research, and program diversity.
