Dr. Cindy Basinski

Dr. Basinski is deeply worried about her alma mater, the Indiana University School of Medicine, which is one of the most radicalized medical schools in the nation.

“Every day, I talk with medical students and faculty at the IU School of Medicine. Their backgrounds and beliefs differ, but they all share the same concern. They see firsthand that IUSM is undermining medical education with divisive ideology. It’s creating a culture of fear and self-censorship that harms them and, ultimately, patients across Indiana and beyond.”

Unfortunately, this isn’t an isolated case. The divisive ideology of “diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice” (DEIJ) is infecting medical schools nationwide. 

As Cindy explains in a blog post for Do No Harm, the agenda goes far beyond fostering trust and understanding between different groups of people. It’s really a means for school administrators to push their personal politics onto students and staff, and silence the free exchange of ideas.

“Before even getting into medical school, [applicants] are asked how they have promoted – or plan to promote – DEIJ objectives.”

Once they get in, those ideas are reinforced in the classroom, often pushing medical science and ethics to the backburner. 

Would you risk losing your dream job to express an opposing viewpoint? This is the choice faced by medical students, who rely on faculty recommendations for jobs and residency programs. It’s safer to stay quiet.

The same goes for school faculty. Those who criticize DEIJ initiatives risk getting fired, punished, or missing out on tenure and other promotions. As Cindy writes, this culture of conformity will have lasting damage across the medical field:

“The most incredible advances in medical history happened because students and faculty pushed the bounds of knowledge and questioned received wisdom. If faculty and future physicians aren’t exposed to a wide variety of views, or even free to share their own perspectives, they won’t move medicine forward. Patients will suffer.”

Cindy is speaking out for the countless students and faculty who cannot speak for themselves. We are proud to share Cindy’s story here and we are grateful for her courage and candor.