More DEI Marketing Pushed Onto Residency Program Directors

In January 2023, we reported on the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education’s (ACGME) obsession with accumulating information about what emergency medicine residencies were doing to “increase racial/ethnic and gender diversity” in their recruitment activities. Now ACGME-registered program directors are being pestered with messages from a Chicago-based firm dedicated to the “culture of diversity, equity, and inclusion.”

Do No Harm obtained a copy of an email sent to a residency program director from a representative with “AMOpportunities,” who offered information on “how we can help you meet the new ACGME common program requirements” related to diversity in resident recruitment and retention. “We can help you bring in learners to your program,” the email read, “who could help you meet your diversity focus.”

We have illustrated how attempts to prove the effectiveness of imposing DEI bureaucracies into medical academics and practice have failed. Yet, without citing any evidence, the CEO of AMO says, “Patient outcomes are driven by diversity, inclusivity, and equity,” and even admits the DEI “is the reason our business exists.”

It’s not surprising that a consulting firm is following funding opportunities that magically materialize when there is a large audience to pitch their big-ticket services to. It’s just a shame that busy residency program directors – who are already burdened with the ACGME’s common program requirements – are having their inboxes cluttered by pushy salespeople seeking another bite at the DEI apple.