The Impact of the ASTRO Aspiring Scientists and Physicians Program (ASPP) on Diverse STEM Students' Perception of Radiation Oncology.

Purpose/objective(s) Workforce studies demonstrate that representation of Black, Latinx, Indigenous people and women in radiation oncology (RO) is lacking and relates to structural inequities, bias, and the systemic exclusion of diverse individuals in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). To that end, ASPP was launched in 2019 with the goal of exposing STEM undergraduate and early medical students who are women and/or students from racial and ethnic backgrounds that are historically underrepresented in RO to the field and its related specialties, including physics and radiation biology. In October 2020, this 3-hour program was held virtually during ASTRO's Annual Meeting. Here we describe the results of a pre- and post-survey administered to ASPP registrants. Materials/methods Undergraduates and medical students were recruited broadly from known STEM programs with focus on UIM (underrepresented in medicine) and women students. Registrants were emailed pre- and post-program surveys via Qualtrics. Surveys collected demographic information regarding their perception of RO graded on a 5-point Likert scale (1-very negative to 5-very positive). Questions were asked on topics previously found to influence medical students' choice of specialization (e.g., work hours, diversity, patient interaction, impact on patient outcomes, job security). There were also questions unique to the post-survey to help assess the impact of ASPP on attendees' consideration of RO as a specialty. Results One hundred ninety-four students registered for ASPP and 95 registrants completed the pre-survey (49% response rate). 47/95 (49%) of respondents were undergraduates and 51% were medical students. 72% identified as female and 28% male. The racial distribution was 35% Black/African American, 31% White, 19% Asian, 2% American Indian, and 0% Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander. 20% of respondents identified as Hispanic. For geographic breakdown of registrants: 27% Midwest, 19% Northeast, 51% South and 2% West. 62% of respondents had no prior dedicated RO exposure, and 78% responded that they knew "a little" or "not much" about what radiation oncologists do. 31/65 attendees completed the post-survey (48% response rate). When comparing pre- and post-surveys regarding their perceptions of predetermined topics, mean responses increased favorably for diversity in RO 3.0 vs 3.7, work/life balance 4.0 vs 4.6, and patient interaction 4.2 vs 4.8, respectively. 100% of post-survey respondents said they would seek a RO rotation/elective in their remaining medical training and 93% would consider applying for the ASTRO Minority Summer Fellowship. Conclusion The ASPP virtual program reached a diverse group of underrepresented STEM students and positively influenced their perceptions of and interest in RO. Based on the success of ASPP, we hope to continue this program annually. Future targeted efforts should be made to increase UIM interest in RO.