As of the 2020 AUA Census, there has been continuous annual growth in the number of practicing urologists across our nation. This has also included an encouraging growing population of women and urologists who self-identify as African American/Black. Despite these inspiring developing trends, the number of urologists self-identifying as Hispanic has remained unchanged.¹ Out of a total of 13,352 practicing urologists in 2020, only 497, or 3.8% of them, were of Hispanic ethnicity, which was the exact same number in 2018 but comprised 4% of the total population for that year (figs. 1 and 2).²

Figure 1. Total representation of the Hispanic population among practicing urologists for the year 2020. MOE, margin of error. Source: https://www.auanet.org/research/research-resources/aua-census/census-results

Figure 2. Total number of Hispanic practicing urologists over a 3-year moving average. Source: https://www.auanet.org/research/research-resources/aua-census/census-results.

As a practicing urologist in the Northeast, I have witnessed firsthand the extreme inequalities between our patient and physician demographics. The Northeast region had a reported total of 1,974 practicing urologists with only 47 (2.4%) identifying as Hispanic ethnicity. This is in stark contrast to the 2020 U.S. National Census data, which showed that 15% of the Northeast region were Hispanic. Honing down even further in the Northeast, the Bronx is a large county within New York City with a population of 1,472,654 and also where I call home.³ Over 56.4% of the Bronx population is Hispanic, and despite this large diverse population, there are only 2 practicing Hispanic urologists for the entire county. These urologists are my colleague Dr. Marissa Theofanides and myself. In addition, our residency at Montefiore Medical Center has only 1 Hispanic resident out of our 10 current total. Despite the growing interest and number of Hispanic applicants in urology each year, the number of urology residents has also remained relatively unchanged.⁴ This observed disparity between the diverse makeup of our patient population and our urology workforce has been known for quite some time, and yet we are still struggling to bridge this gap.

The Hispanic population is a multiracial, diverse population even within its own group. As a result, this can lead to a multitude of microaggressions and stereotyping even within the physician workforce, making it more difficult to find job gratification and job advancement. Previous studies have attempted to identify inequalities in promotion times based on race and ethnicity, but no statistically significant differences were found given the alarmingly low number of underrepresented minorities in academic urology.⁵ Working at an institution centered in the Bronx, our practice has also dedicated resources for expanding our outreach all the way to Washington Heights to help provide care to one of the largest concentrated Hispanic populations in New York City. We also participate in local community health fairs to promote early prostate cancer awareness to our predominantly underserved, undereducated, underinsured minority population, who are at the highest risk for advanced prostatic disease.⁶

In response to the stagnant growth of the Hispanic urology workforce in our community and our obligation to better personalize our urological care, I founded the Hispanic Urologists Society of North America (HUSNA). Our aim is to promote health maintenance and education, provide culturally sensitive care and improve the urological health status of our Hispanic community. We seek to maximize collaboration among our peers of all backgrounds and support rising Hispanic medical students interested in a career in urology. It is important to unite academicians and clinicians in a network for critical analysis and dialogue regarding various Hispanic urological conditions. We are excited to announce that the AUA2022 Meeting is quickly approaching, and our society will be showcased at the Science and Technology Hall. We look forward to meeting new potential members and connecting our fellow urologists from all parts of the world. All are welcome!