Commentary

VCU’s Divisive DEI Training

  • By Do No Harm Staff
  • April 26, 2023
  • Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine

We’ve already unearthed proof that Virginia Commonwealth University has an extremely woke medical school. Now we know that it wants to build an “inclusive environment” in its Department of Ophthalmology which means paying thousands of dollars for trainings built on a foundation of toxic woke division. And this doesn’t just apply to students; it applies to members of the department who provide clinical care, too.

Figure 1. Implicit bias training session at VCU Department of Ophthalmology.

A source tipped us off to what’s happening at VCU, so we did some digging and submitted some freedom of information requests. We found copies of its various trainings, which all revolve around the idea that “inclusive excellence begins with you.” They are offered by a company called IExcel, and one is a course called VCU Inclusive Leadership. There are five courses total in this course (which offers a certificate upon completion), including:

  • Fundamentals of Diversity and Inclusion. It reviews “recent and compelling developments in the field of diversity and inclusion,” while offering “definitions, strategies, and activities” to advance DEI. Remember that DEI is the practical form of Critical Race Theory, which is centered on racial division and discrimination.
  • Implicit Bias and Microaggression. This course “contributes to diversity and inclusion education by providing participants with foundational knowledge and skills for reducing implicit biases and microaggressions.” Remember that implicit bias testing has been thoroughly disproven, to the point that even its creators have admitted its significant shortcomings.

Each training starts with a focus on participants’ pronouns and the idea of “intersectionality,” which is basically the idea that some people are oppressors and others are victims.

Figure 2. From the “VCU Inclusive Leadership Certificate” course.

In light of these disturbing trainings, VCU needs to answer some questions. What is the ophthalmology department doing that demands racial re-education? Were there actual incidents that demanded a response? It seems highly unlikely, but what is likely is this: VCU, like other institutions, is wholly bought into woke indoctrination.

How much did VCU pay for these blatantly woke products? Our FOIA requests turned up an initial $12,750 worth of invoices to IExcel for personnel in the health sciences. That’s steep, but the highest price of all is the continued corruption of medical education and practice.