CAP Survey Grills Members on Race, DEI Policies

Should a medical association care about the racial and sexual composition of its membership?

Do No Harm obtained a copy of the College of American Pathologists’ (CAP) December 2024 DEI survey, administered by CAP’s DEI Committee. The survey asks members to report their race, sexual identity, sexual orientation, pronouns and more. 

Additionally, the survey asks them to rate the effectiveness of CAP’s DEI programs and activities. (For the record, CAP has won awards for its DEI efforts).

“The race and sexuality of CAP’s members should have no legitimate organizational purpose.

But combine that with CAP’s stated goal to pursue DEI and it becomes even more problematic.”

Moreover, CAP DEI Committee’s goals are to “facilitate the development of a pipeline to build a CAP leadership that reflects the rich diversity inherent in the community of board-certified pathologists and pathologists-in-training” and to “grow and strengthen the diversity of the CAP membership and promote engagement with the CAP being mindful of equity and inclusion.”

The committee is also charged with a duty to “explore interest in affinity groups (such as an African American group).”

The term “affinity groups” refers to groups within an organization centered around a particular racial or ethnic identity that, explicitly or implicitly, are often segregated.

It’s concerning that CAP would structure its organizational priorities around DEI and race.

Racial divisions are toxic, detrimental to the larger mission of medicine, and outright prejudicial. 

CAP should ensure it does not engage in racial discrimination in the name of “diversity,” and that it replaces its fixation on race with a commitment to merit and excellence.