by Anh-Thu Ngo Vu, M.D., MS | July 17, 2023 Article Citation: Gauer JL, Mustapha T, Violato C. Race and Gender Bias in Clerkship Grading. Teach Learn Med 2024; 36(3):304-311. DOI: 10.1080/10401334.2023.2224789 What is this article about? This study was done at the University of Minnesota Medical School and evaluated data from 1905 graduates over the course of 8 years between 2014 and 2021. For all eight required clerkships (Medicine, Pediatrics, Surgery, Psychiatry, Neurology, Family Medicine, Obstetrics/Gynecology, and Emergency Medicine), women received higher grades than men. For four of the required clerkships (Medicine, Pediatrics, Surgery, Obstetrics/Gynecology), White students received higher grades than non-White students, even after accounting for academic covariates (e.g. USMLE Step 1, MCAT, Undergraduate GPA). No interaction effect was found between gender and race. Why should you read the article? Deliberate, systematic analysis of assigned clerkship grades over many years can reveal patterns of grading bias, in this case, looking at race and gender. Although this was done at a single institution, the longitudinal method of data collection strengthens this study. In addition to race and gender, this study also analyzed the potential interaction between the two. This study also accounted for other measures of academic achievement which could influence the clerkship grade, such as scores on other standardized tests and undergraduate GPA. How can you use this article? Clerkship grades can heavily impact a student’s ability to match in the residency of their choice, and are meant to represent a true assessment of the student’s clinical and academic performance. It may be worthwhile doing similar analyses across multiple institutions to reveal any potential underlying demographic bias influencing clerkship grading, so that the data can inform potential interventions to reduce this bias. Review Author: Anh-Thu Ngo Vu, M.D., MS; Assistant Professor and Clerkship Director, Department of Neurology, Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA. Member organization: Consortium of Neurology Clerkship Directors, American Academy of NeurologyDemographic Bias in Clerkship Grades