University of Washington Med School Ditches DEI-Inspired Admissions Question

The University of Washington School of Medicine (UWSOM) will no longer ask prospective students how they contribute to a “diverse” student body, according to an email obtained by Do No Harm.

The email, sent by Associate Dean of Admissions LeeAnna Muzquiz, MD, to UWSOM admissions committee members, states that the members reviewing students for admission should no longer consider the following question:

“The UWSOM aims to build a diverse class of students to enrich the field of medicine. What perspectives, identities, and/or qualities would you bring?”

This is obviously a positive development, and a win for all prospective medical students considering applying to UWSOM. And for that, UWSOM deserves credit. 

Yet the justification for this decision raises even more questions.

“Upon reconsideration, it was determined that this question may be misinterpreted,” the email reads. “Thus, out of an abundance of caution, and to avoid any misunderstanding, the question and responses have been removed from further consideration by reviewers at this stage in the process.”

By “misinterpreted,” Muzquiz may mean “interpreted as a pretext for ideologically motivated or even racially discriminatory hiring decisions.” 

That’s simply the reasonable interpretation. What the intended interpretation of that question was, we can only wonder.

It wouldn’t be the first time UWSOM has engaged in racial discrimination: Do No Harm successfully sued the school after it restricted access to a physicians’ directory to “black, indigenous and people of color” (BIPOC) students and physicians.

Moreover, the email contained a link to a video in which Muzquiz reminded committee members that the consideration of race and other protected characteristics in the admissions process was not “acceptable.”

In the same breath, Muzquiz also lauded the “holistic review” process, in which prospective students are evaluated less for their academic achievements such as grades and MCAT scores, and more for less tangible factors.

As Do No Harm has frequently noted, holistic review can be an end-around for race-based admissions.

Muzquiz made sure to disclaim this intention, stating clearly that holistic review “cannot be used as a proxy” for racial discrimination.

In sum, this is certainly a positive development. Do No Harm encourages UWSOM (and all schools, for that matter) to ensure that ideology plays no role whatsoever in its admissions, and that it selects students based on merit.