Radiologists of South Asian nativity or ancestry are increasing in number, especially among trainees in our specialty. Although there are no overt barriers to their advancement through the hierarchy of national radiology organization, their representation in positions of leadership is surprisingly meager. The issue of participation of South Asian radiologists needs to be addressed for the sake of substantiating inclusiveness, so that the contributions of radiologists of all ethnicities can confidently aspire to reach fulfillment as fully-fledged contributors to our specialty.

The previous essay focused on women. It emphasized the notion that women are not entering the field in proportion to their percentage as medical students. We concluded that there appears to be no institutional barrier, either to entry or advancement and that the reasons to why our specialty is not as popular to them as expected must relate to psychological and/or lifestyle factors that need to be further explored. When we come to the issue of Indian radiologists i.e., both those born in India or the children of those born in India who have been raised in the United States who seek to enter Radiology training, the situation is a little bit different. Here, we do not see a lack of interest in Radiology but rather an intensification of interest. Yet, there is also evidence, perhaps of a glass ceiling preventing Indian radiologists, designated either by nativity or ancestry, from advancing up the rungs of organized Radiology. The explanations for this phenomenon, to be described herein, are still a matter of speculation.

It is important that the more we know about the distribution in space of any group the better we can understand how we are accommodating their aspirations, proclivities and particular needs. To learn about their distribution is the first step in perceiving the barriers that limit opportunities.

South Asians were few and far between in the U.S. until the adoption of the Immigration and National Amendment of 1965, otherwise known as the Hart-Celler Act, the landmark legislation passed during the Johnson Administration. This law enabled large scale immigration from places outside of Europe, based upon specific needs and talents. In the past 3 decades Indian immigration has increased every year. In 1997 for example, there were nearly 750,000 Indian immigrants in the United States, which represent 2.9 % of all legally documented foreign born. There are also 489,000 permanent residents from there in the U.S. as of 2005.