Commentary

More Changes in Discriminatory Scholarships – Medical Schools Are Now Using Updated Eligibility Criteria

  • By Do No Harm Staff
  • September 27, 2022
  • Ohio State University College of Medicine, Oregon Health and Science University, University of Florida College of Medicine, University of Oklahoma, University of Utah School of Medicine

Four more medical schools have removed or altered their scholarship websites after Do No Harm filed complaints with the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights for discriminatory eligibility criteria. Scholarships that use race-specific eligibility requirements violate Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

University of Oklahoma – Tulsa: The “Visiting Underrepresented in Medicine Student Elective Program” removed race-specific eligibility and now says that “any MS4 student may apply.” The program still states that preference will be given to applicants who are “underrepresented in medicine.”

University of Utah School of Medicine: The “Underrepresented in Medicine Student Clerkship Grant,” which included race-specific eligibility criteria, has been taken down from the Division of Otolaryngology’s internet pages. The “Ophthalmology Fellowship for Underrepresented Minorities in Medicine”  still requires applicants to identify as “Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, and/or Native American (American Indian/Alaska Native/Native Hawaiian).” 

The Ohio State University College of Medicine voluntarily changed the language that previously listed race-specific eligibility criteria for its “Obstetrics and Gynecology URiM Visiting Student Scholarship,” and Do No Harm withdrew our OCR complaint.

Oregon Health and Science University School of Medicine: Following our OCR complaint and website posting, the links to the “GME-to-Faculty Diversity Advancement Pathway (FDAP)” program and application have been completely disabled. The program was featured in OHSUSOM’s September 2022 Belong, Include, Empower newsletter.  

Earlier this month, we reported that the University of Florida College of Medicine eliminated race-specific eligibility requirements for its Visiting Student Diversity Award. 

As recipients of federal financial assistance, medical schools are legally obligated to actively enforce Title VI’s prohibition of discrimination on the basis of race, color, and national origin, and must certify to the Department of Education that they are doing so. The recent removals or alterations of medical school websites for racially discriminatory programs demonstrate that many schools are routinely filing false certifications and are failing in their legal obligations to actively enforce federal civil rights laws. 

Does your medical school offer a discriminatory scholarship? Please let us know – anonymously and securely.