Certifying Activism: The American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology’s DEI Obsession

Like many medical organizations in recent years, the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology (ABPN), which certifies psychiatrists and neurologists underwent an ideological transformation that involved integrating DEI and “anti-racism” into its core mission and activities.

According to its DEI resource page, DEI is now a part of its “Strategic Action Plan.” 

The plan lists “Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion” as one of the ABPN’s “key values”; similarly, listed among its “priority areas” is the goal to “Promote Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Across Our Activities.”

Pursuant to its Strategic Action plan, the ABPN has “Established a board-level DEI Committee”; “Developed DEI policy and statement”; “Incorporated DEI into ABPN Strategic Plan as core values and as a priority area”; and “Committed to fostering an inclusive workplace, including best practices in human resources.”

Additionally, the ABPN has altered its certification process to incorporate DEI objectives. 

It now provides “CME or Self-Assessment CME activities with DEI-related content” for “use toward Continuing Certification requirements.” On another resource page, the ABPN promotes several continuing medical education (CME) courses designed to advance DEI and “anti-racism.”

In short, this means that DEI indoctrination counts toward certifying a psychiatrist’s or neurologist’s competency to practice.

This is obviously nonsensical; but the courses promoted by the ABPN feature offerings from major mental health medical associations.

These courses are administered by medical associations including the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP), the American Academy of Neurology (AAN), and the American Psychiatric Association (APA).

The courses feature titles including “Clinical Essentials on Advancing Anti-Racism” and “How Racial Socialization Perpetuates Racial Inequities in Psychiatry”; there’s also the AAN’s Anti-Racism Education Program.

This course objectives include having participants “Recognize anti-racism as a professional competency, engage in conversations about race and racism, and practice skills to improve patient care” and “Understand how to apply a racial equity framework to their own clinical practice and in health care systems.”

Additionally, several APA offerings promoted by the ABPN include implicit calls for activism in the field beyond, including: “Approaching Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Social Justice through Creating Sustainable Organizational Change”; “Advocacy for Anti-Racist Policies That Expand Equitable Access to Mental Health Care: The Role of the Psychiatrist”; and “Stylistic Writing Strategies that Further Racial Equity.”

The consequence of this DEI fixation is that psychiatrists and neurologists will be inundated with racial and political agitprop, to the detriment of their practice.

This is not helping patients; instead, it is embedding a radical and often discriminatory ideology into the profession.