The Office for Civil Rights is Investigating the USC Keck School of Medicine

In response to a federal civil rights complaint filed in August by Do No Harm senior fellow Mark Perry, the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights has opened an investigation into illegal race-based discrimination by the University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine.

The Diversity in Medicine Visiting Clerkship Award supports fourth-year medical student groups who are “traditionally underrepresented in medicine (URiM).” The USC Keck School of Medicine defines URiM as “black/African-American, Hispanic/Latino, Native American/Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander.”

Discrimination on the basis of race/ethnicity is a violation of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Further evidence that the clerkship is restricted to specific racial/ethnic groups is seen in the scholarship application link.

Recipients of the Diversity in Medicine Visiting Clerkship Award in the Department of Emergency Medicine will receive a stipend of up to $2,000 to cover travel and housing.

Are you aware of a scholarship or fellowship at your medical or nursing school that contains discriminatory inclusion criteria? Do No Harm wants to hear from you, and you may remain anonymous if you wish.