Characteristics of Designated Institutional Officials and Sponsoring Institutions of ACGME-Accredited Training Programs

Abstract

ABSTRACT Background Since the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) established the designated institutional official (DIO) role in 1998, there have been major changes in sponsoring institutions (SIs) and DIO responsibilities. Yet there remains a large gap in our knowledge regarding baseline SI and DIO characteristics as well as a need for institutions wanting to increase diversity in the DIO role and other leadership positions within the medical education community. Objective We sought to characterize demographics of DIOs and the SIs they oversee. Methods We identified SIs and DIOs on the ACGME website on February 15, 2020. Reviewed data included SI accreditation status, number of programs and resident/fellow positions, and DIO characteristics. Results We identified 831 SIs. SIs with continued accreditation sponsored more programs (median 4.0) than SIs with initial accreditation (median 1.0, P < .001). DIO age ranged from 29–81 years (median 57 years). Two-hundred eighty-three of 831 (34%) DIOs were women. Of 576 DIOs with known academic rank, 356 (62%) DIOs held senior academic rank. A higher proportion of male DIOs had senior academic rank (68% vs 52%; OR 1.90 [95% CI 1.34–2.70]; P < .001) and professor rank (39% vs 24%; OR 2.01 [95% CI 1.38–2.94]; P < .001) compared to female DIOs. Female gender was associated with a greater number of ACGME-accredited programs and filled resident/fellow positions per SI (P < .001 for both). Conclusions This study describes characteristics of DIOs and SIs and offers insights for those pursuing a DIO position.