Duke’s DEI Rebrand Leaves Something to be Desired

Earlier this year, Duke University Health System and Duke University School of Medicine were under the magnifying glass for a host of discriminatory DEI programs and policies.

First, in March, Do No Harm submitted a federal civil rights complaint against Duke Health for racially discriminatory practices in its admissions and scholarship decisions. Duke Health’s diversity plan had explicitly called for adapting admissions processes to increase acceptance of underrepresented minority applicants, even pairing prospective minority candidates with current minority students during the admissions process.

What’s more, the Washington Free Beacon reported in July that the School of Medicine had adopted promotion guidelines designed to “foster a diverse pipeline of potential learners from BIPOC and other marginalized groups” and “measurably increase the number of BIPOC learners.”

Next, Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. and Secretary of Education Linda McMahon demanded Duke Health end its discriminatory practices and implement measures to ensure merit is prioritized.

However, throughout 2025, Duke has undertaken something of a public-facing rebrand regarding DEI, scrubbing or moderating much of its more overt endorsements of race-based programming and identity politics.

For instance, Duke ditched its “anti-racism pledge” that featured attestations including a recognition of “our own implicit biases,” an affirmation “that excellent research and health care cannot happen without equity,” and a promise to “actively engag[e] members of diverse populations to guide and lead our research.”

And according to The Duke Chronicle, the School of Medicine shuttered DEI programs, including its “Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, Advancement and Leadership in the Sciences” or IDEALS office, in September.

Additionally, the school’s Department of Medicine rebranded its Equity, Diversity and Inclusion program to the Culture, Engagement, and Community program; the website of the former now redirects to the latter.

The medical school also maintains the Office for Culture, Engagement, and Impact, which appears to be distinct from the Culture, Engagement, and Community program, despite similarities in name.

However, much objectionable programming remains within the Office for Culture, Engagement, and Impact.

The school’s “ME² Black Employee Resource Group,” for example, aims “to foster a community focused on networking, professional development, and leadership opportunities for Black staff.” Its webpage does include a disclaimer stating that all are welcome to attend its meetings, but a group focused on the professional development of a specific racial group is disturbing nonetheless.

Likewise, the school maintains the “Duke Advancing Latiné/Hispanic Excellence Employee Resource Group,” which serves “university-wide employees who identify as Latino/a/x/é and/or Hispanic.” The school also operates the “Sexual and Gender Diversity Advisory Council,” which it describes as a “think tank and hub to support the LGBTQ+ community at Duke.”

Additionally, the school maintains an awards program that recognizes contributions to “equity” and “inclusion.”

Given Duke’s long history of overt racial discrimination and the fact that much racialized programming remains, it’s hard to believe that these changes aren’t closer to cosmetic attempts at damage control rather than substantive, institutional shifts in the school’s priorities.

Duke should make clear, publicly and proudly, that it will no longer engage in any radical identity politics, and end its DEI programming for good.