West Virginia medical school touted its ‘woke’ diversity policies, documents show

EXCLUSIVE — The Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine at Marshall University in West Virginia is quite proud of its diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts, according to internal documents reviewed by the Washington Examiner.

The documents, obtained through the Freedom of Information Act by the medical watchdog group Do No Harm and shared with the Washington Examiner, show the Joan Edwards School of Medicine participated in a diversity, equity, and inclusion survey administered by the Association of American Medical Colleges that asked schools if they had implemented “holistic” admissions practices to admit a “diverse” student body.

Read more at the Washington Examiner.

South Carolina med school faces federal investigation for excluding men, white people

‘The argument that diversity must be achieved to accomplish optimum clinical outcomes for patients is without evidence,’ former Penn medical school dean says

Eight programs run by the Medical University of South Carolina are now the subject of a federal investigation by Department of Education officials following a complaint by a nonprofit.

The Medical University of South Carolina changed the listed eligibility criteria for some of its diversity scholarships that required recipients to be from groups “under-represented in medicine” students, following a federal complaint that alleged the program violated civil rights.

However, the complaint from Do No Harm, a nonprofit group fighting wokeness in healthcare, still triggered an investigation into eight separate programs, including mentoring initiatives and scholarships.

Read more at The College Fix.

California Medical School Investigated For Scholarship Which Allegedly Discriminates On The Basis Of Race, Sex

The United States Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights opened an investigation into a medical scholarship offered by the University of California San Francisco Fresno (UCSF-Fresno) after a watchdog group claimed that it discriminated against students’ race and sex, according to documents obtained by the Daily Caller News Foundation.

The “UCSF Fresno Obstetrics and Gynecology Scholarship for Visiting [Underrepresented in Medicine] Students” scholarship is available to students who identify as LGBTQ+ or classify as a minority, its website states. The Office of Civil Rights (OCR) agreed to investigate the scholarship on Dec. 8 after Mark Perry, Senior Fellow at Do No Harm, filed a complaint in September which claimed that the scholarship discriminated against candidates based on race and sex.

Read more at The Daily Caller.

Major University Medical Center Gets An ‘A’ For Wokeness In Diversity, Equity And Inclusion Survey

The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center detailed in a survey how it incorporates diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) into its hiring and admissions practices, according to materials obtained in a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request by Do No Harm, an education watchdog group.

The survey, obtained by the Daily Caller News Foundation, was administered by the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) and asked the school to detail how it commits itself to DEI standards in categories including leadership and mission, faculty and staff, students and communication and engagement. It shows the center has made diversity “central” to its mission as “a driver of institutional excellence.”

Read more at The Daily Caller.

Major University Trained Students On How To Be Trans ‘Allies’ Using A ‘Gender Unicorn’

Oklahoma State University (OSU) officials provided a training to students that teaches them how to be LGBTQ “all[ies],” according to documents obtained by a watchdog group.

The OSU Office of Multicultural Affairs conducted a virtual training in 2020 which taught students various terms to use when discussing the LGBTQ+ community and trained them on what resources are available to transgender students, according to documents obtained by Do No Harm, an education watchdog group and reported by the Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs (OCPA). A section of the training was called “Ally Packet: LGBTQ Safe Zone.”

Read more at The Daily Caller.

EXCLUSIVE: Med School Weighed Residents’ Commitment To ‘Anti-Racist Practices’ In Admissions Process

The University of New Mexico School of Medicine considered OBGYN residency applicants’ contributions to anti-racism and diversity during the interviewing process, according to a rubric obtained by Do No Harm, a group that focuses on ending anti-racism in health care.

Interviewers for the University of New Mexico School of Medicine awarded OBGYN residence applicants points based on their “experience and interest” in “equity, anti-racist and diversity, equity and inclusion practices,” according to a 2021-2022 interviewing rubric obtained by Do No Harm. Applicants were given points if they are a member of the “LGBTQIA+” community or are “African American, Latinx or Native American.”

Read more at The Daily Caller.

Doctor warns ‘woke’ agenda gaining foothold in medical colleges: ‘Diversity above merit’

A recent study from the Association of American Medical Colleges shows that diversity, equity and inclusion policies have gained a significant foothold in American medical colleges, and a medical expert tells Fox News Digital that poses a serious risk to the both quality of care and freedom of expression.

“Med schools are devoting more and more time to these social and political issues, leaving less time for the study of medicine,” Dr. Stanley Goldfarb, board chair of Do No Harm, told Fox News Digital in response to analysis released by the AAMC, which essentially serves as a report card for how its medical colleges are faring at implementing DEI policies that critics have described as a “woke” agenda.

The AAMC report states that “assessing policies, practices, and programs at the institution and school levels is a first step toward ensuring that academic medicine is well-positioned to cultivate a diverse and culturally prepared workforce, advance inclusion excellence, promote equity advancement, and enhance engagement with local communities.”

Read more at Fox News.

Woke Insanity Detected in Another Patient: Tulane School of Medicine

In my 37 years as a psychiatrist, I’ve worked in community mental-health centers, the VA, prisons, and at training hospitals. So it takes a lot for me to be surprised. But the outbreak of mass irrationality at the respected medical school where I now work and teach has done just that. It now appears that Tulane School of Medicine has revised its mission to ensure that our faculty and students receive indoctrination that divides us into either “oppressors” or “victims.” This mindset, as unreasonable as it is inflexible, is degrading our ability to deal with the health-care world as it really is.

I’m from Louisiana, so I know racism when I see it. I grew up surrounded by it, and I consider myself very fortunate to now live in a culture that has worked hard to eradicate this cancer from our society. Nevertheless, I’m not inclined to take our progress for granted, since individual attitudes of bias and intolerance can still potentially rear their ugly heads. That’s why it made sense for Tulane to offer and encourage optional courses covering cultural sensitivity, diversity, and related issues for the faculty and staff. I consider these resources to be potentially quite helpful for clinical care, since New Orleans has such a rich cultural heritage.

Read more at the National Review.

University of Florida medical school scrubs website of CRT content after media reports

The University of Florida College of Medicine has scrubbed its website of mentions of Black Lives Matter and other racialized content after a report highlighted the medical school’s implementation of critical race theory in its academics.

The conservative medical watchdog group Do No Harm highlighted the medical school’s extensive incorporation of critical race theory (CRT) into its academics and admissions in a report earlier this month. The report references the school’s admissions website, which said the medical school “unequivocally” condemned racism and supported Black Lives Matter.

Read more at the Washington Examiner.

University of Florida Medical School Scrubs Web Pages of Woke Content in Wake of Exposé

The University of Florida College of Medicine is scrubbing “anti-racism” pages from its website in the wake of a report detailing the influence of leftwing ideology on the school’s curriculum.

The report from Do No Harm, a group opposed to identity politics in medical education, was released November 22 and highlighted a slew of activist statements by the public medical school, many of them posted to its official website. A week later—after a flurry of unflattering media coverage—the College of Medicine had taken down at least three of those posts, including a statement on the admissions office homepage declaring that “BLACK LIVES MATTER.”

That statement also condemned “systemic oppression” and touted the admissions office’s commitment to “equity in healthcare.” In addition, the school removed a webpage that offered a list of “resources for combating systemic racism,” including a set of guidelines instructing “white allies” to “assume racism is everywhere, every day,” and a page that described the school’s learning objectives related to “health equity.”

Read more at the Washington Free Beacon.

Report reveals critical race theory ideas found in top medical school programs

Chairman of Do No Harm Dr. Stanley Goldfarb joined ‘Fox & Friends First’ to discuss the report and why he believes the findings are concerning.

Click to watch:

‘Social justice’ schools: Medical association praises diversity efforts in doctor education

The Association of American Medical Colleges praised U.S. medical schools for their commitment to diversity, equity , and inclusion, or DEI, in a new report that detailed nationwide efforts at the colleges to implement diversity programs.

The report, released earlier this month, said that all 101 participating medical schools had implemented diversity initiatives in their admissions practices, and the vast majority of senior administrators at those schools had expressed support for DEI.

Read more at the Washington Examiner.

What will DeSantis say? Florida medical college is slammed for pushing ‘equity’ CRT initiatives and for training a new generation of ‘antiracists’ as part of degree, despite Governor’s ban on affirmative action

The University of Florida’s College of Medicine has been accused of ‘indoctrinating’ graduates ‘in divisive philosophies’ through building critical race theory into its admissions and courses.

The Do No Harm campaign group, which combats woke ideology in healthcare, says prospective students are exposed to ‘social justice activism’ from the moment they express an interest in studying at the school.

Do No Harm says this ‘continues through the admissions process, and persists throughout the doctoral program’.

Read more at the Daily Mail.

12 Okla. universities discriminate against white and Asian students: federal complaint

UPDATED

National Science Foundation-funded program requires illegal discrimination, group alleges

Twelve Oklahoma universities have been hit with a federal civil rights complaint for their participation in a STEM program that excludes white, Asian and Middle Eastern students.

Do No Harm, a nonprofit group fighting wokeness in healthcare, filed the complaints due to the universities’ participation in the Oklahoma Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation Program. The complaints have been filed with the Department of Education, but it does not mean an investigation will necessarily take place.

Read more at The College Fix.

University of Florida College of Medicine pushes ‘destructive’ woke agenda on students, report says

EXCLUSIVE: The University of Florida College of Medicine incorporates aspects of critical race theory into its admissions and educational programs, according to a new report obtained exclusively by Fox News Digital.

The report from Do No Harm, a group of medical workers against divisive racial policies in medicine, explains that the college uses “equity” initiatives to train a new generation of “antiracists” in medical fields — two terms at the core of critical race theory. Those initiatives include active recruitment of “underrepresented groups,” suggested readings on diversity and equity for aspiring student and a code of ethics that explains how to address implicit bias.

Read more at Fox News.

Report Reveals Just How Much the DEI Complex Has Infiltrated Medical Education

Forty-four percent of medical schools have tenure and promotion policies that reward scholarship on “diversity, inclusion, and equity.” Seventy percent make students take a course on “diversity, inclusion, or cultural competence.” And 79 percent require that all hiring committees receive “unconscious bias” training or include “equity advisors”—people whose job it is to ensure diversity among the faculty.

Those are just some of the findings from a new report by the Association of American Medical Colleges, which together with the American Medical Association accredits every medical school in the United States. The report, “The Power of Collective Action: Assessing and Advancing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Efforts at AAMC Medical Schools,” is based on a survey of 101 medical school deans—representing nearly two thirds of American medical schools—who were given a list of diversity policies and asked to indicate which ones they had implemented.

Read more at the Washington Free Beacon.

‘Diversity to the Exclusion of Merit’: Physician Criticizes Woke Initiatives in Medical Schools

A flagship medical association that represents major medical schools nationwide has released a November 2022 report promoting woke culture in medical schools.

The Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) is a Washington-based nonprofit comprising 157 accredited U.S. medical schools; 14 accredited Canadian medical schools; approximately 400 teaching hospitals and health systems; and up to 80 academic societies.

The goal of the report, according to its executive summary, is to improve medical schools’ “climate and culture through collective administration of Diversity, Inclusion, Culture, and Equity (DICE) Inventory.”

Read more at The Epoch Times.

A Woke Panic on Maternal Mortality

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Is there an epidemic of black mothers dying in the delivery room? So it would seem, given the drumbeat of academic studies and media stories over the past few years, including from Oprah Winfrey and the Biden administration. Yet it turns out that these alarming reports have more to do with advancing the notion of systemic racism than medical reality. Instead of letting radical activists remake health care, America should invest in proven ways to reduce the small number of maternal mortality cases.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has created the public concern about black maternal mortality. In February, the CDC released data showing that the maternal mortality rate for black women is 2.9 times higher than the rate for white women. It’s a worrisome statistic, yet the CDC’s own data, as well as a study from the CDC Foundation, provide crucial (and generally unreported) context.

To be clear, even a single death of a pregnant woman is one too many. But the overwhelming majority of women survive motherhood: in 2020, according to the CDC, 861 women in the United States died related to pregnancy, out of a total of about 3.6 million births—a rate of 0.02 percent. Just over 350 were white, while just under 300 were black. Scientifically speaking, it’s hard to draw society-wide conclusions from such a small sample. It’s even harder when you recognize that the CDC statistics include deaths that occurred up to a year after delivery, as well as those caused by underlying and preexisting medical conditions that pregnancy may have aggravated. And the CDC admits that the systems for identifying mortality rates are prone to error.

The CDC Foundation, which commissioned an expert panel to review maternal mortality statistics, dives deeper into the facts. After analyzing state data from the late-2000s to the mid-2010s, the panel found that only about a third of the reported deaths within a year of pregnancy were pregnancy-related. Furthermore, 42 percent of the deaths were not preventable, resulting from issues like cardiovascular disease and pulmonary embolism. Other contributing factors, such as hypertension and kidney disease, are often genetic. (A fuller discussion of this context is available on Do No Harm’s website.)

The panel found that less than about a third of the preventable deaths, across all races, were attributable to individual providers. It did not cite racial bias as the reason. Yet the academic and media narrative leads to the assumption that black mothers are dying because doctors and nurses are racist. This leads to a corresponding claim that black mothers would die less often if they saw black doctors, which some call “racial concordance.” These are strange assertions, since Hispanic maternal mortality is lower than the rate for whites, which wouldn’t be true if medical professionals were racist. Yet these claims are still being used to justify discriminatory and dangerous policies across health care.

Look at education. To achieve racial concordance, activists and academics are demanding increased diversity in medical school and training programs. That’s a noble goal, in the abstract, but medical schools are pursuing it by lowering standards, including dropping MCAT requirements for some minority applicants. The United States Medical Licensing Exam has abandoned objective numerical grading for a pass/fail system, the better to get minority students into competitive and prestigious training programs. These policies involve discrimination against white and Asian medical students, while endangering patient health by recruiting potentially less qualified future physicians.

A similar trend is underway in medical practice. The supposedly unequal treatment of black mothers helps drive the spread of “implicit bias” testing and training, which accuses white doctors and nurses of being inherently and irredeemably racist. And we can expect a full-throated campaign to give black mothers preferential access to care, which requires de-prioritizing mothers of other races. Such overtly discriminatory practices have already been announced in other medical fields, including in the cardiology department at one of Harvard’s teaching hospitals, and it’s only a matter of time before they come to maternity care.

These trends are rooted in ideology, not science, and given how they’re being implemented, they’re far more likely to hurt care for all mothers than help improve care for black mothers. That’s not to say that we can’t do anything to prevent black mothers from dying during or after pregnancy. Policymakers should focus on the hospitals that black mothers rely on, ensuring that they have the services and staffing necessary to deal with complicated pregnancies. They should also promote high-quality prenatal care, which black mothers are more likely to lack.

We should strive to end maternal mortality for mothers of all races, including black mothers. But we shouldn’t let woke ideologues stoke a panic and use it as cover to embed race-based policies and practices at every level of health care.