A Dishonorable End To A Medical Honor Society

Pity the Alpha Omega Alpha medical honor society. At the University of Pennsylvania’s Perelman School of Medicine, the 120-year-old institution has now been hollowed out by woke activists. Apparently the society’s entire purpose – which is to recognize outstanding student achievement – is incompatible with the demands of diversity. 

Here’s the backstory. Last year, the Perelman school convened a taskforce on Alpha Omega Alpha (AOA). Its goal was to “promote racial equity and less competition among students,” while also determining the future of the honor society on campus. The taskforce released its ruling on July 20^th, and while AOA will still be allowed to exist, it will not be allowed to reward the best students when it matters most.

Under the new system, AOA can still induct medical students on an annual basis. But it can no longer do so before those students are matched with their residency and training programs. The reason? The school doesn’t want the most qualified students to get accepted to residency programs ahead of others, especially those who are “under-represented in medicine.” 

Rarely will you see more blatant disregard for merit – or a more brazen elevation of diversity above quality. Dr. Stan Goldfarb, Do No Harm’s chairman and Perelman’s former associate dean of curriculum, has spent years pointing out these dangerous trends. The medical honor society (and the outstanding students it recognizes) deserve better than this dishonorable attack.