Commentary

Another Federal Civil Rights Investigation Is Underway at Duke University School of Medicine

  • By Do No Harm Staff
  • May 25, 2023
  • Duke University

On the heels of resolving one program that was discriminating on the basis of sex, the Duke University School of Medicine is again being investigated for a discrimination on the basis of race/ethnicity and sex.

Do No Harm senior fellow Mark Perry has been notified that the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) has opened an investigation into the school’s racially discriminatory Black Men in Medicine (BMiM) initiative (archived site here). The complaint, filed by Perry on April 9, 2023, reports that BMiM “aims to develop and support the needs of black male faculty, students, trainees, and learners in the School of Medicine and to cultivate future healthcare and biomedical science professionals.”

Figure 1. Black Men in Medicine initiative at Duke University School of Medicine.

The Black Men in Medicine Group hosts “Moving Forward Together” sessions to “provide a space for Black men in the Schools of Medicine and Nursing to come together and lend support to one another during the ongoing challenging times.” Faculty members participate in the sessions “to speak openly” with participants about their experiences at Duke.

BMiM violates Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, or national origin. The program simultaneously violates Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex.

Is your school offering programs that discriminate on the basis of race/ethnicity, sex, or both? Do No Harm wants to hear from you – anonymously and securely.