Commentary

UCSF Fresno is Under Investigation for Race-Based Discrimination

  • By Do No Harm Staff
  • December 12, 2022
  • University of California San Francisco

The University of California San Francisco (UCSF) is now under investigation for its UCSF Fresno Obstetrics and Gynecology Scholarship for Visiting UiM Students – 2022, which illegally discriminates on the basis of race/ethnicity in violation of Title VI and on the basis of gender identity and sexual orientation in violation of Title IX.

In response to a complaint filed by Do No Harm senior fellow Mark Perry, the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) has opened a federal civil rights investigation into this discriminatory scholarship, as it restricts eligibility to visiting medical students who are “UIM” (underrepresented in medicine). According to the UCSF website, “UIM includes a member of the LGBTQ+ communities or underrepresented minorities as described by the California Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development which includes: Black, African Americans or Africans, Hispanics or Latinos, American Indians, Native Americans or Alaskan natives, Native Hawaiians or other Pacific Islanders and Asians (other than: Chinese, Filipinos, Japanese, Koreans, Malaysians, Pakistanis, Asian Indian, and Thai).” The application asks students for their preferred name and pronouns and their race/ethnicity.

Figure 1. UCSF Fresno OB/Gyn scholarship for visiting UiM students eligibility criteria.

Applicants who are awarded the scholarship are provided with student housing, application fees, tuition fees, and up to $1,000 for travel and transportation costs.

Because of eligibility criteria that excludes applicants based on race/ethnicity and gender identity/sexual orientation, this program violates both Title VI of the Civil Rights Act and Title IX, which prohibit such discrimination.

Have you been excluded from a scholarship or fellowship at your medical or nursing school because of discriminatory inclusion criteria? Do No Harm wants to hear from you, and you may remain anonymous if you wish.