Commentary

DEI is On the Agenda for the American Academy of Dermatology’s Annual Meeting

  • By Do No Harm Staff
  • March 6, 2023

The American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) seems more interested in pushing DEI and woke indoctrination onto the next generation of dermatologists than teaching them how to be good doctors, and the agenda for the 2023 annual meeting proves it.

A concerned citizen sent us the link to one of the AAD 2023 Annual Meeting’s sessions titled, “DEI in GME: Thoughts and Considerations.” Attendees will learn strategies for the recruitment and selection of “residency applicants and faculty of diverse backgrounds” and “best practices in teaching inclusivity and equity in the dermatologic care of patients.” The goal? AAD says it right in the session description:

 By cultivating our youngest generation of dermatologists, we can make our dream of creating a diverse and inclusive specialty a reality.

But that’s not all. AAD is devoting three hours to the “Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion” symposium, where participants will be instructed in The Importance of DEI in Dermatology, DEI in Medical Education: The AAD Skin of Color Curriculum, DEI Leadership in Dermatology, and Equity in International Dermatology. Why is the AAD emphasizing diversity and equity over meritocracy and individual patient needs?

Somehow, the AAD can even inject identity politics into electronic health records, telehealth, augmented intelligence, and smartphone apps. The session titled “Technology in Dermatology: Tailoring Solutions to Your Practice and Optimizing Joy & Impact” aims to present the “relevant clinical needs” related to these tools, but through “a lens toward usability, inclusivity, equity, and meaningful impact” on the patients and dermatologists who use them.

The AAD has published several articles and commentaries in its Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology that echo the DEI drumbeat. In Understanding Health Outcomes and Health Equity, the physician author notes that, in addition to ancestry and genetics, “structural and individual racism” are factors that contribute to patient outcomes. Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion: The Visionary Future of JAAD notes the focus on “the grave realities of structural racism, systemic inequality, and social determinants of health across all facets of our society.” The journal promises to be “a guiding voice” in the research data and the education of dermatologists in these concepts.

Topics in the conference agenda are reflected in the AAD’s strategic plan for 2021-2023, which aims to integrate DEI into all committees, ensure equity in leader selection, focus research funding on health disparities based on skin color, and expand recruitment and development of “dermatologists who are underrepresented in medicine.”

From the AAD strategic plan 2021-2023 (January 26, 2021).

Bottom line: The AAD has invested in the dissemination of the DEI agenda and is highlighting divisive concepts throughout its upcoming annual meeting. Patients want dermatologists who know how to diagnose and treat their skin problems, not woke ideologues who place identity politics over medical science.

Is your professional organization pushing DEI ahead of the science of healthcare? Do No Harm wants to hear from you via our secure online portal.