Commentary

Ohio State Med School Closes DEI Office

  • By Do No Harm Staff
  • May 28, 2025
  • Ohio State University College of Medicine

The Ohio State University College of Medicine will be shuttering its DEI office on May 31, administrators announced in a statement last week.

The decision comes in response to a sweeping new law that effectively bans DEI in higher education, including medical schools.

“We will sunset the College of Medicine Office of Diversity and Inclusion (ODI) effective May 31,” the statement reads. “We will follow our usual practice of working with the impacted individuals to find other opportunities at Ohio State where possible. We remain committed to providing the resources our faculty, staff and learners need to be successful in alignment with our values and adhering to legal requirements.”

The statement was sent by John J. Werner, CEO of The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Carol Bradford, Dean of The Ohio State University College of Medicine, and Sarah Sherer, Senior Associate Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer of the Wexner Medical Center.

Additionally, the medical school will “sunset the Vice Chair for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) roles within the [medical school], effective June 27.”

These actions are welcome news: in 2024, Do No Harm filed a civil rights complaint against the medical school for running a scholarship program that was limited to the “following racial or ethnic groups: Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, American Indian or Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander.”

And in 2023, Do No Harm released a report highlighting Ohio State’s numerous DEI initiatives and policies. This included evidence that the medical school’s curriculum is heavily geared toward indoctrinating students into DEI.

“We remain committed to ensuring that every member of our community is valued, heard and can thrive,” the statement concluded. “Our priority is to provide the resources our faculty, staff and learners need to be successful. How we go about that will need to change, but our commitment will not. We will continue to celebrate diverse backgrounds and ideas, and uphold academic freedom, which defines the excellence of American universities.”