The Perry Initiative Ditches Discriminatory Criteria in Its Medical Programming Following Federal Civil Rights Complaints by Do No Harm

The Perry Initiative, an organization that previously promoted women-only talent development programs in the field of orthopedics, has now opened its programs to all.

The Perry Initiative has two main programs: the Perry Outreach Program, intended for high school students, and the Medical Student Outreach Program, intended for medical students. 

The Perry Outreach Program offers students the chance to engage with “hands-on mock orthopaedic surgeries, biomechanical engineering experiments, and interactive talks from prominent engineers and surgeons.” The Medical Student Outreach Program provides students with the opportunity to “hear from residents and attending surgeons, discuss pathways into orthopaedic surgery, and participate in hands-on surgical skills sessions.”

However, the programs previously required applicants to identify as “female or non-binary” to be eligible for the program. Indeed, the initiative’s motto previously was: “Building the Pipeline for Women in Engineering and Medicine.”

This is, of course, blatant and illegal discrimination on the basis of sex.

So, back in 2023, Do No Harm submitted a federal civil rights complaint against 12 medical schools that partnered with The Perry Initiative to advertise, promote, and/or host the programming.

Do No Harm’s complaint, filed with the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights, pointed out that universities promoting these programs were violating Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, which forbids federally-funded institutions of higher education from engaging in sex-based discrimination.

The schools named in the complaint are as follows:

• Oklahoma School of Science and Mathematics
• Yale University
• Wake Forest University
• New York University
• University of New Mexico
• University of Pittsburgh
• Duke University
• Albert Einstein College of Medicine
• University of Arizona
• University of Iowa
• Oregon Health and Science University
• University of Virginia

Later the same year, Do No Harm also filed complaints against the University of Minnesota, Indiana University, and the University of Delaware after similar programs were announced on their campuses. The Education Department’s Office for Civil Rights responded by opening federal investigations into many of the schools we flagged.

Now, following our complaints and the ensuing federal investigations, it appears The Perry Initiative has rethought its commitment to sex-based discrimination. 

The information pages for The Perry Initiative programs make clear that these programs are now open to all, whereas before, it was clear that the programs were restricted to women.

Moreover, the Perry Initiative’s mission now states that it aims to build “the talent pipeline in the fields of orthopaedic surgery and engineering.”

All told, it’s an encouraging sign that The Perry Initiative is opening its programs to all. Following the efforts of Do No Harm, The Perry Initiative and its academic partners appear to have a better understanding that Title IX isn’t optional, and compliance isn’t voluntary: it’s legally mandated.

Sex-based discrimination has no place in healthcare training and education, and the field is best served when medical programs are open to all students and selection is based on merit.