Sex, Race, and Ethnicity in National Institutes of Health Career Development Award Submissions and Success: A 20-Year Retrospective Cohort Study
Antonios M. Koumpias, Matthias Kirch, Emma Steppe, Emilee Coulter-Thompson, Galit Levi DunietzBackground:
Obtaining a National Institutes of Health (NIH) career development (K) award is a pivotal milestone for early-career faculty, contributing not only to individual career progression but also to the diversity of the biomedical sciences workforce. Despite the critical importance of these awards, disparities in access may perpetuate inequities within academic biomedical disciplines.
Methods:
In this large, retrospective cohort study, we investigated how sex, race, and ethnicity were associated with submission and success rates for NIH K-award applications among 2455 early-career faculty affiliated with a large medical school and life sciences departments at a leading public research university over 20 years (2001–2021).
Results:
This cohort had 59% men, 58% White, and 35% Asian faculty. Faculty members from underrepresented groups (Black and Hispanic) represented 7% of the sample. Our findings indicated that women were more likely than men to submit a K award application (adjusted odds ratio [aOR]: 1.45; 95% confidence intervals [CIs]: 1.16, 1.82), whereas Asian faculty were less likely than their White counterparts to apply (aOR: 0.55; 95% CI: 0.43, 0.72). Submission rates did not differ between underrepresented groups and White faculty (aOR: 0.95; 95% CI: 0.61, 1.47). Importantly, we observed no differences in award receipt by sex (aOR: 1.11, 95% CI: 0.60, 2.03) or by race/ethnicity, with aORs of 0.55 (95% CI: 0.21, 1.46) for underrepresented groups versus White faculty and 0.79 (95% CI: 0.39, 1.57) for Asian versus White faculty.
Conclusions:
While sex, race, and ethnicity influence the likelihood of applying for NIH K awards, these factors did not affect the likelihood of receiving career awards once submitted. The observed disparities in application rates underscore a critical need for targeted outreach, mentorship, and support to enhance awareness and encourage applications among all early-career faculty, ultimately promoting greater equity in access to these vital career development opportunities.