Our previous article, Addressing the Lack of Mentorship for Underrepresented Faculty in Communication Science and Disorders (CSD), published in the October 2025 issue of the magazine,  provided an overview of the research on the importance  of mentorship for faculty from underrepresented minorities (URM), especially in the field of Communication Science and Disorders (CSD). 

This article will focus on how problems in the pipeline, gaps in representation, limited access to application knowledge and mentorship, and insufficient financial support for mentoring all contribute to the lack of diversity in the field of CSD. Part three of this series (forthcoming) will address the importance of mentorship and current mentorship models and best practices. 

As discussed in our previous article, the concept of a “leaky pipeline” reflects the reality that many URM students leave the education system before obtaining advanced degrees or achieving faculty positions. (Mahendra & Kashinath, 2022; Mohapatra & Mohan, 2021). It’s alarming how predictable these leaks have become. We have long known that systemic efforts like targeted mentorship, financial support, and culturally relevant workplaces in the Communication Sciences and Disorders (CSD) field are quite weak. If institutions are serious about closing diversity gaps, they need to stop making empty promises and build long-lasting systems that will help underrepresented minority students throughout their academic and professional lives. If nothing is done, the gaps will only get bigger, making cycles of exclusion even stronger.  

Research on the experiences of URM faculty in other healthcare fields can be applied to CSD. Ajibade et al.(2025) discussed the gaps in mentorship for underrepresented faculty in family medicine. Ajibade et al. (2025) point out that “the disparity in clinical professors of color is because of the systemic challenges that URM academic physicians are navigating and having to overcome. Systemic solutions are necessary to address systemic challenges.” This is true for all academic fields, not just family medicine. Ajibade et al. point out that addressing these mentorship gaps is not only ethical and addresses inequities but can “increase faculty retention and productivity” (2025). 

Roberts (2023) sought to better understand the experiences of URM graduate students in speech-language pathology programs by surveying students throughout the United States. She examined multiple forms of what she refers to as minoritized identities: “race; ethnicity; gender; SES; lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer (LGBTQ+); and disability” (Roberts, 2023, pg. 694). Among the many issues facing students with these identities, “the speech-language pathology graduate school environment may involve lack of access to social goods that affect inclusion” (Roberts, 2023, p. 696). These social goods include valuing diversity, “knowledge of the norms of academia,” acceptance, accessibility, and respect (Roberts, 2023, p. 696). 

To better understand the needs of minoritized students in speech-language pathology graduate programs, Roberts asked students what advice they would share with a peer. Roberts identified many themes within the responses that highlight the challenges URM students face in graduate programs. One piece of advice was to “find a mentor" (Roberts, 2023, p. 702). Roberts goes on to elaborate, “the need to use personal agency to gain information appeared throughout the graduate school experience, starting prior to the application process, which may imply a sense of being alone in one’s efforts or a lack of immediately visible support” (2023, p. 703). Structured mentoring programs would address this lack of support and help URM students feel less alone. 

Collectively, these studies support the notion of targeted and ongoing mentorship strategies to foster the growth of professionals in education, medicine, and related fields, thereby supporting the health of both individuals and society at large. 

Esplen et al. (2025) and Sevelius, Harris and Bowleg (2020) both emphasize that mentorship is important for academic success, job satisfaction, and faculty retention. Yet it often doesn't get the support it needs, especially for those from marginalized backgrounds. Esplen et al. (2025) mention that mentorship   is associated with various positive outcomes, like better academic performance and promotion, as well as satisfaction and faculty retention (p.2). 

Moreover, Sevelius, Harris, and Bowleg (2024) push this critique even further by arguing that conventional mentoring setups can perpetuate the same exclusionary systems that affect faculty of color (p.7). “This individualistic approach perpetuates oppression and inequality by continuing to place the burden of navigating and challenging systemic injustice on the shoulders of URM faculty and trainees” (Sevelius, Harris and Bowleg, 2024, p.7). Without accountability from culturally sensitive institutions and frameworks, mentorship may just turn into another form of invisible labor. Both articles call for major changes that integrate mentorship into the academic fabric, ensuring it receives the funding and visibility necessary to truly support URM faculty rather than exploit their labor. Sevelius, Harris and Bowleg (2024) further call for mentorship programs based on an understanding of intersectionality. “Intersectional mentoring broadens the focus beyond the individual mentee to challenging systems and structures that drive inequities” (Sevelius, Harris and Bowleg, 2024, p.7)

Philips et al. (2016) found that a formal mentoring program improved long term retention of new faculty, especially for URM and international faculty. As discussed above, URM faculty can often feel isolated within their departments or universities. Philips et al. found that “the individual mentoring aspect of the Program addressed the typical issues of isolation and the ‘imposter syndrome.’” (2016). They also reported a positive impact on the institution’s overall culture, with many senior faculty members volunteering to serve as mentors. Overall, the results of this program show the enormous impact of a formal mentoring program, not just on individual URM faculty but also on the institution as a whole. 

Addressing the inequities caused by systemic racism can seem like an insurmountable challenge. However, the research discussed in this article clearly demonstrates that structured, intersectional, well-funded mentoring programs significantly increase the recruitment, retention and success of URM individuals in CSD and other health fields. 

References: 

Ajibade, F., Smyre, C., Perkins, L., Cordon-Duran, A., & Campbell, K. (2025). Defining and addressing gaps in mentorship for underrepresented faculty. Family Medicine, 57(6),            403–409. https://doi.org/10.22454/FamMed.2025.224099

Beech, B. M., Calles-Escandon, J., Hairston, K. G., Langdon, S. E., Latham-Sadler, B. A., &         Bell, R. A. (2013). Mentoring programs for underrepresented minority faculty in academic medical centers: A systematic review of the literature. Academic Medicine: Journal of the Association of American Medical Colleges, 88(4), 541–549. https://doi.org/10.1097/ACM.0b013e31828589e3

Esplen, M. J., Fiksenbaum, L. M., Lin, E., Darani, S. A., Teshima, J., Vigod, S. N., Kozloff, N.,      Szatmari, P., Lanctôt, K. L., Ho, C., Silver, I., Soklaridis, S., & Wong, J. (2025). Identifying the mentorship needs among faculty in a large department of psychiatry-       support for the creation of a formal mentorship program. BMC Medical Education, 25(1), 47. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-024-06629-y

Kemzang, J., Bekolo, G., Jaunky, S., Mathieu, J., Constant, H., Oguntala, J., Rahmani, M., Louismé, M. C., Medina, N., Kendall, C. E., Ewurabena, S., Hubert, D., Domecq, M.-C., & Fotsing, S. (2024). Mentoring for admission and retention of black socio-ethnic minorities in medicine: A scoping review. Journal of Medical Education and Curricular Development, 11, 23821205241283805. https://doi.org/10.1177/23821205241283805

Mahendra, N., & Kashinath, S. (2022). Mentoring underrepresented students in speech-language pathology: Effects of didactic training, leadership development, and research engagement. American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, 31(2), 527–538. https://doi.org/10.1044/2021_AJSLP-21-00018

Mohapatra, B., & Mohan, R. (2021). A proposed framework for increasing racial and ethnic           diversity in communication sciences and disorders academic programs: The REAP model. Perspectives of the ASHA Special Interest Groups, 6(4), 755–767. https://doi.org/10.1044/2021_PERSP-20-00285

Phillips, S. L.; D. (2016). High retention of minority and international faculty through a formal mentoring program. To Improve the Academy: A Journal of Educational Development, 35(1). http://dx.doi.org/10.3998/tia.17063888.0035.104

Roberts, T. M. (2023). Examining inclusion in speech-language pathology graduate programs through minoritized students’ advice to a peer. Perspectives of the ASHA Special Interest Groups, 8(4), 693–711. https://doi.org/10.1044/2023_PERSP-22-00226

Sevelius, J. M., Harris, O. O., & Bowleg, L. (2024). Intersectional mentorship in academic medicine: A conceptual review. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 21(4), 503. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph21040503