{"id":8885,"date":"2024-05-24T00:06:58","date_gmt":"2024-05-24T00:06:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/scienmag.com\/internationally-trained-female-oncologists-face-many-discrimination-challenges-in-the-u-s\/"},"modified":"2024-05-24T00:06:58","modified_gmt":"2024-05-24T00:06:58","slug":"internationally-trained-female-oncologists-face-many-discrimination-challenges-in-the-u-s","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/scienmag.com\/internationally-trained-female-oncologists-face-many-discrimination-challenges-in-the-u-s\/","title":{"rendered":"Internationally trained female oncologists face many discrimination challenges in the U.S."},"content":{"rendered":"

MIAMI, FLORIDA (May 23, 2024) <\/strong>\u2013 Coral Olazagasti expected a relatively smooth transition when she moved to New York to start her residency after graduating from medical school in her native Puerto Rico. But that proved wishful thinking.<\/p>\n

\"Dr.<\/p>\n

Credit: Photo by Sylvester<\/p>\n

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MIAMI, FLORIDA (May 23, 2024) <\/strong>\u2013 Coral Olazagasti expected a relatively smooth transition when she moved to New York to start her residency after graduating from medical school in her native Puerto Rico. But that proved wishful thinking.<\/p>\n

She not only experienced major culture shock, but also her superiors and colleagues often chastised her for speaking too loudly and joked about her accent.<\/p>\n

\u201cPuerto Rico is a U.S. territory so when I moved to New York, I thought it wasn\u2019t going to be a big change,\u201d said Olazagasti<\/strong><\/a>, now a thoracic medical oncologist at Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center<\/strong><\/a> at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. \u201cBut I went through a significant number of adjustments and challenges, and that was a really lonely time. Not many people in my situation were talking about experiencing these challenges.\u201d<\/p>\n

Olazagasti wondered if her adjustment struggles while dealing with biases against certain immigrants and ethnic minorities might be shared by other foreign-trained female physicians? So, she decided to explore further.<\/p>\n

In a study to be presented June 3 at the American Society of Clinical Oncology\u2019s annual meeting<\/strong><\/a> in Chicago, Olazagasti and collaborators from other top-tier cancer centers show female oncologists reported much higher levels of gender or race\/ethnicity-based discrimination than their male counterparts.<\/p>\n

Layers of discrimination<\/strong><\/p>\n

The researchers surveyed non-U.S. or Puerto Rican oncologists who were either training in a residency or fellowship program in the U.S. or who had completed training and were practicing as independent oncologists. Key findings included:<\/p>\n