Biomedical scientists have careers in higher education; research universities and laboratories; local, state, and federal agencies; hospitals and medical centers; policy centers and think tanks; and in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries.

Changing demographics in the United States warrant an emphasis in the promotion and recruitment of African Americans, American Indians and Hispanics into the biomedical sciences. The National Institutes of Health Strategic Plan (2016-2020) provides a framework to “Advance Opportunities in Biomedical Research,” in which enhancing diversity is a major tenet.

According to the US Census Bureau’s March 2015 report, by 2044, more than half of all Americans will belong to a minority group. By 2060, African Americans are projected to increase from a current 14.3% to 17.9%, a change of 63.6%; and Hispanic Americans are projected to increase from 17.4% to 28.6%; a 114.8% change. Americans with two or more races will triple in size, increasing by 226%.

Moreover, the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reports that healthcare occupations and industries are expected to have the fastest employment growth between now and 2024, increasing from 12% to 13.6%, becoming the largest employing sector in the decade.

However, diversity in the health sciences remains a major challenge. According to "Labor Force Characteristics by Race and Ethnicity, 2014," the US BLS reported that of the approximately 143,000 people employed as "medical scientists” in the US, 58.2% were White, 33.8% were Asian, 7.9% were Hispanic, and 5.1% were African American.

More diversity initiatives are needed to address health sciences demands and US demographic changes.

A 2015 Special Report produced by US News & World Report stated, “Despite a national focus on directing more students into STEM…the workforce is no more diverse now than in 2001.” Data from the National Science Foundation 2015 report, Women, Minorities, and Persons with Disabilities in Science and Engineering, document the disparities in the science and engineering (S&E) workforce: 71% of S&E jobs are held by whites, 17% Asian, 6% Latino, 5% African American, and 2% other.

A breakdown of these data show that the S&E sectors that employ the most African Americans are Social Work (19.9%), Counselors (12.8%), Human Resources (11.4%), and Computer system analysts (11.1%); and fewer than 3% are Life scientists and only 4.4% are diagnosing health practitioners. Hispanics in S&E jobs are more likely to be Petroleum Engineers (15.8%) and Counselors (13.9%).

According to Diversity in the Physician Workforce: Facts & Figures 2014, produced by the Association of American Medical Colleges, out of the total US MD active physicians, 4.1% were African American, 4.4% Latino, 0.4% American Indian or Alaskan native, 11.7% Asian, and 48.9% White. With the implementation of the Affordable Care Act, increasing healthcare access to more Americans, requires increased diverse and culturally responsive healthcare providers.