Commentary

UMass T.H. Chan School of Medicine Scores 70.8% on its DICE Inventory – And is Promoting a Discriminatory Summer Internship

  • By Do No Harm Staff
  • February 15, 2023
  • University of Massachusetts T.H. Chan School of Medicine

Just how woke is the University of Massachusetts (UMass) T.H. Chan Medical School? Very woke indeed, as it just confirmed to Do No Harm.

Here’s the background. In November 2022, the Association of American Medical Colleges released a report showing that the vast majority of medical schools have embraced identity politics, despite their divisive and even discriminatory nature. The report was based on surveys of specific medical schools, which the AAMC didn’t name.

For the sake of transparency and accountability, Do No Harm submitted freedom of information requests to public medical schools nationwide, including the UMass Chan Medical School. We asked for a copy of its survey response, so that Massachusetts taxpayers and policymakers could learn the truth about this institution.

Here’s what the UMass Chan Medical School has self-reported:

  • It has adopted racially discriminatory admissions practices under the guise of “affirmative action.” This means it’s potentially lowering standards in the name of diversity, thereby threatening patient health. The schools list of selection criteria includes:

“Attributes that contribute to the diversity of the class, including, but not limited to, socio-economic background, educational background, work experience, nationality, languages spoken, ethnicity, race, gender, gender identity, and sexual orientation. Also considered in diversity are students from disadvantaged backgrounds and resiliency in terms of positive capacity to cope with stress and adversity.”

  • It has a “dedicated office, staff, or resources” dedicated to DEI. This means there’s a permanent woke bureaucracy pushing ideology on faculty and students. The UMass Chan Medical School Diversity and Inclusion Office says it is “moving toward an equitable and anti-racist future.”
Figure 1. UMass School of Medicine Diversity and Inclusion Office.

The Diversity and Inclusion Office also sponsors the Emerging Professionals Summer Internship program, which includes racially discriminatory selection criteria that treats certain racial/ethnic groups differently than others. Do No Harm has filed a federal civil rights complaint against the university for this violation of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

  • It lobbies for woke policies at the federal, state, and/or local levels. This means it’s wading into toxic public debates instead of fully focusing on educating future physicians.
  • It offers tenure and promotion to faculty who prove their commitment to extreme identity politics and woke priorities. This is a litmus test that requires faculty to toe the party line instead of teaching medicine at the highest level. The Diversity and Inclusion Office’s position on recruiting says the UMass Medical School is “committed to a program of affirmative action to eliminate or mitigate artificial barriers and to increase opportunities for the recruitment and advancement of qualified minorities, women, persons with disabilities, and covered veterans.”
  • Its administrators are active within local, regional, and national forums to promote equity, diversity, and inclusion. This means it’s wasting resources that would be better spent on real medical education.
Figure 2. UMMS DICE Inventory overall score.

All told, the UMass Chan Medical School has instituted 70.8% of the divisive and discriminatory woke policies listed by the AAMC. And you can bet it is feeling pressure from activists and outside groups to go even further down the radical rabbit hole – doing even more damage to faculty, medical students, and ultimately, the millions of patients they’ll see.

Massachusetts taxpayers help fund UMMS. They, and the policymakers who represent them, should ask why they’re giving so much money to an institution that’s putting divisive and discriminatory ideology at the heart of medical education. More importantly, they should ensure UMMS stops, and soon.