341ENHANCING DIVERSITY AND CAREER INTENTIONS IN DERMATOLOGY: ADDRESSING UNDERREPRESENTATION OF SEXUAL MINORITY AND UNDERREPRESENTED MINORITY STUDENTS IN THE WORKFORCEMedical dermatology continues to exhibit limited diversity despite persistent disparities in healthcare and challenges related to access among underserved minority racial and ethnic groups as well as disadvantaged populations. This study examined the demographic characteristics and career intentions of allopathic medical graduates pursuing dermatology compared to those choosing alternative medical specialties over the period from 2016 to 2019. The research explored differences based on gender, racial-ethnic cultural groups, and sexual orientation. Utilizing repeated cross-sectional analysis of data from a national medical education organization’s Graduation Questionnaire dataset, 58,077 allopathic medical graduates were surveyed. The study compared proportions of female students, underrepresented minority (URM) students, and sexual minority (SM) students selecting dermatology versus other specialties. Both percentage distributions and adjusted odds ratios (controlling for confounding factors) were evaluated to understand how dermatology-bound graduates’ career aspirations diverged from peers choosing other fields. Among the graduates analyzed, 28,489 (49.0%) were female, including 8,447 URM students (14.5%) and 3,641 SM students (6.3%). Female enrollment in dermatology involved fewer URM (11.6%) and SM (1.9%) students relative to their representation in other specialties (17.2% URM; 5.7% SM) (P < .001). Adjusted analyses revealed that compared with graduates entering other fields, those pursuing dermatology had lower likelihoods of intending to serve underserved populations (18.3% vs 34.0%; adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 0.40; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.35–0.47; P < .001), working in underserved regions (12.7% vs 25.9%; aOR, 0.40; 95% CI, 0.34–0.47; P < .001), or engaging in public health (17.0% vs 30.2%; aOR, 0.44; 95% CI, 0.38–0.51; P < .001). Conversely, they had higher odds of pursuing research-oriented careers (64.7% vs 51.7%; aOR, 1.76; 95% CI, 1.57– 1.97; P < .001). Future plans among dermatology clinicians to serve underserved communities and engage in public health were positively associated with female gender, URM status, and SM identity (URM aOR 4.05, 95% CI 2.83–5.80; SM aOR 2.55, 95% CI 1.51–4.31). The likelihood of URM dermatology students prioritizing practice in underserved areas was nearly four times greater than their non-URM counterparts (aOR 3.93; 95% CI, 2.66–5.80)]]>922019Medical dermatology Dr. Swetha Gutha1*, Dr Rasineni Neelakanta BabuAssistant Professor, Department of Dermatology, Arunai Medical College and Hospital, Velu Nagar, Mathur,Tiruvannamalai, Tamil Nadu 606603, India. 2Associate Professor, Department of Dermatology, Saveetha Medical College, Saveetha Nagar, Thandalam, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India