SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH: July 28, 2026 – Today, Do No Harm filed complaints with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights (HHS-OCR) against Atlantic Health System and Nemours Children’s Health for operating racially discriminatory pediatric training programs for fourth-year medical students. The complaints call on HHS-OCR to investigate the programs’ preferences for “underrepresented” racial groups and find violations of federal anti-discrimination laws.
“It’s disappointing and concerning that prominent health systems continue to sort and value individuals based on their race when determining who can be awarded valuable learning opportunities,” said Dr. Kurt Miceli, chief medical officer at Do No Harm. “These programs are especially important for fourth-year medical students, offering meaningful clinical training experiences, while also giving students the chance to showcase their skills at potential future residency sites. One’s race has no bearing on whether he or she is able to provide high-quality care. Merit, academic excellence, and a commitment to serving patients must be the determinants when Atlantic Health and Nemours select the most qualified students for these programs, not identity politics.”
Atlantic Health System, a nonprofit hospital that receives substantial federal funding, claims that diversity is “at the core of what makes [it] great.” The system’s “Minority Visiting Clerkship Program” offers training in pediatric medicine and is an “exemplary” opportunity for fourth-year medical students to learn from medical staff. Students selected to participate are awarded inpatient residency rotations, an interview for full-time residency after medical school, mentorship, and valuable networking opportunities with hospital staff. To prioritize diversity and inclusivity, the program bases its selection process on race, restricting applicants to members of so-called underrepresented in medicine groups (URIM). As defined by the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC), URIM groups include American Indians, Alaska Natives, African Americans, Hispanics, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders.
Nemours Children’s Health is a nonprofit healthcare system that serves nearly half a million children across more than 70 locations in six states; trains nearly 2,500 medical students, residents, and fellows annually; and is supported by sizeable federal funding. Nemours aims to ensure “that health equity and inclusion goals are at the top of the organization’s short- and long-term planning priorities.” In an effort to “attack and manage the causes of racial health disparities,” Nemours operates the “Visiting Student Scholar Program,” which offers fourth-year medical students clinical and educational opportunities, professional mentorship, and a competitive stipend. Nemours limits applicants to medical students who are “underrepresented in medicine,” ensuring the eligibility of only a select group of individuals belonging to those “racial, ethnic, religious, socioeconomic, [and] ability” classes that Nemours prefers.
Both Atlantic Health System and Nemours discriminate against white applicants and members of other races they disfavor, blocking these individuals from an equal opportunity to access valuable career-training opportunities on the basis of race. The United States Supreme Court has been clear that efforts to purportedly ensure racial diversity or balance disparities provide no justification for race-based programs under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Such acts of discrimination are in direct violation of both Title VI and Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act.
Click here to read the complaint against Atlantic Health System.
Click here to read the complaint against Nemours Children’s Health.
Do No Harm, established in April 2022, has rapidly gained recognition and made significant strides in its mission to safeguard healthcare from ideological threats. It has over 50,000 members, including doctors, nurses, physicians, and concerned citizens across all 50 states and 26 countries.
