Annual Faculty Data Report Shows Continued Increase in Female Faculty while the Proportion of Underrepresented Minorities Remains Static

Annual Faculty Data Report Shows Continued Increase in Female Faculty while the Proportion of Underrepresented Minorities Remains Static

Female faculty comprise 60.8% of total faculty at the U.S. schools and colleges of optometry in 2022-23, according to ASCO’s 2022-2023 Annual Faculty Data Report rising from 60.4% last year and 50.4% in 2012-13. In the past year, the percentage of full-time Black or African American faculty increased from 3.8% to 3.9%; ten years ago it was 3.2%. The percentage of full-time Hispanic or Latino faculty decreased from 5.8% to 5.0%. Ten years ago the percentage was 5.3%.

In addition, over the past year:

• The total number of full-time faculty increased 0.9%, from 793 to 800 (23 schools). Ten years ago there were 682 full-time faculty (21 schools).
• Residency programs continue to be the primary source of new faculty, providing approximately 1/3 of new full-time faculty in the past year. Another ¼ came from optometry practices and 6.2% came from graduate school or other post-doctoral training.
• The percentage of full-time faculty with PhD and other non-OD doctoral degrees decreased from 27.2% to 22.9% in the past year. Ten years ago it was 30.5%.

The report also shows:

• 30.1% of full-time faculty have tenure and 15.9% are on a tenure track at the 19 institutions offering tenure.
• The average age of didactic full-time professors is 58.4 years and for clinical full-time professors 54.0 years.
• The average full-time didactic professor has been with the school for 20.5 years and the average full-time clinical professor for 21.7 years.

For more information, contact Joanne Zuckerman, ASCO’s Manager, Data Services and Special Projects, at jzuckerman@opted.org.