Press Release

University of Colorado Settles with Do No Harm, Changes Discriminatory Scholarship Criteria

  • By Do No Harm Staff
  • February 14, 2025
  • University of Colorado School of Medicine

RICHMOND, VA; February 14, 2025 – This week, the University of Colorado School of Medicine agreed with medical watchdog Do No Harm to reform the school’s discriminatory race-based scholarship that excluded white and Asian American applicants. Do No Harm sued the medical school in December 2024 on behalf of a member who was excluded from the scholarship due to race.  

“We are pleased that University of Colorado eliminated the racial requirement for this scholarship,” said Stanley Goldfarb, MD, Chairman of Do No Harm. “Racial discrimination is immoral and has no place in medical education. Medical scholarships should go to the most qualified candidate based on merit, not race.” 

Background: 

  • The University of Colorado School of Medicine’s Radiation Oncology Department offered a $2,000 “Underrepresented Minority Visiting Elective Scholarship.”
  • However, the Underrepresented Minority Visiting Elective Scholarship was available only to students from groups that are “historically underrepresented in medicine,” excluding white and Asian American students. 
  • In December 2024, Do No Harm filed a lawsuit against the medical school on behalf of one of its members who was otherwise eligible for the scholarship, but was disqualified based on race. 
  • On February 13, the University of Colorado agreed with Do No Harm that it should drop the racial requirements for this scholarship, also changing the scholarship’s name to the “Radiation Oncology Visiting Elective Scholarship.” In connection with the lawsuit, the University of Colorado also removed discriminatory requirements from another scholarship program, opening up the GEMS Program to students of all races.

More information on the lawsuit can be found at Do No Harm v. University of Colorado. 

The joint stipulation of dismissal can be found here. 

Do No Harm, established in April 2022, has rapidly gained recognition and made significant strides in its mission to safeguard healthcare from ideological threats. With 15,000 members, including doctors, nurses, physicians, and concerned citizens across all 50 states and 14 countries, DNH has achieved over 10,000 media hits in top-tier publications and garnered widespread attention through numerous broadcast news appearances.