Problem In academic surgery, women and physicians from ethnic minority groups remain inadequately represented relative to their representation in the US population and among medical students and surgical trainees. Although several initiatives have been aimed at developing the academic surgery pipeline or addressing issues related to faculty retention and promotion, little is known about how recruitment practices impact diversity in academic medicine. Moreover, national standards and ideal practices specific for effective recruitment in surgery have not been established.

Approach A working group at the Department of Surgery at the University of Michigan implemented an inclusive search and selection process for all open faculty positions within the department in academic year 2017–2018. The strategy included mandatory training, a standing recruitment committee with diverse membership, broad promotion of positions, implementing a modified “Rooney rule,” panel interviews of candidates, standardized interview protocols, a standardized evaluation tool and scoring system, and written evaluations/ranking of candidates.