The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society Hasn’t Ditched Its DEI Ways Just Yet

In 2023, Do No Harm reported on a racially discriminatory grant program operated by the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (LLS): the Underrepresented Minority Medical Student Research Program, which was only available to 2nd-to-4th-year medical students who were “Black/African American, Hispanic/Latino(a), American Indian/Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian/other Pacific Islander.”

Now, it appears that the grant program has been removed from the LLS’s website; its link redirects to the LLS’s general research page.

But a host of other programs, initiatives, and public statements promoting DEI remain, indicating that the LLS isn’t quite so far removed from its discriminatory past.

Take, for instance, LLS’s Equity in Access grants, which are intended to “generate new evidence that can guide policy reform and changes in healthcare practice” to mitigate the impact of “social, economic and environmental disadvantages and reduce barriers to care.”

As part of that mission, and the LLS’s adherence to DEI ideology, the organization is seeking applicants of certain backgrounds.

“Consistent with LLS’s commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion, we encourage applications that have investigators and/or research team members from backgrounds historically underrepresented in research disciplines as a result of their race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, disability, or other factors,” the LLS’s application guidelines stated.

The LLS also runs its IMPACT grant program, which provides funding to cancer centers to expand access to clinical trials.

“LLS is setting out to improve access to clinical trials for underrepresented patients, including Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC), Hispanic, Latinx, and people from rural communities,” the program description states.

The LLS even has a statement on its website expressing its commitment to DEI.

“Our commitment to justice, dignity, and belonging takes two forms: a culture of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI); and a focus on advancing health equity for all,” the webpage states.

“We’re helping to advance new state and federal laws that require a deliberate approach to recruiting underrepresented patients to participate in clinical trials – because everyone deserves a fair shot at accessing cutting-edge treatment, regardless of their background, age, income, or location,” the webpage continues.

To be clear, medical organizations absolutely should work to expand access to treatment; but targeting certain racial groups in the name of equity is not “fair.”

Additionally, LLS maintains employee resource groups that appear to be catered to specific racial groups; these include the “Black Employee Forum” and “Asian, Pacific Islander, Desi Middle Eastern American Forum.”

Racial segregation is hardly welcoming or inclusive, but such contradictions are hardly out of place in the regressive ideology of DEI. 

To reiterate, expanding access to care is a worthwhile and admirable goal.

But the methods of achieving these goals should not involve racial discrimination, and successes for certain racial groups should not come at the expense of others.