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Many medical schools are now prioritizing ‘identity politics over merit,’ doctor says

A federal bill called the Embracing Anti-Discrimination, Unbiased Curricula, and Advancing Truth in Education Act that would stop diversity, equity, and inclusion in medical schools is receiving mixed responses from medical groups.

Some say it’s needed to stop “identity politics” from overtaking the medical field, but others contend that DEI helps physicians serve “diversifying populations.”

The bill, which was reintroduced on May 20, would “block federal funding for medical schools and accrediting institutions that force students to affirm ideological beliefs and prioritize diversity, equity, and inclusion.”

Do No Harm, an organization that aims to keep identity politics out of medical education, research, and clinical practice, has voiced its support for the bill.

“It advances the very core of Do No Harm’s mission, which is to make healthcare better for everyone, not undermining it at the hands of a political agenda,” Medical Director Dr. Kurt Miceli told The Fix in an interview last week.

“Unfortunately, we’ve seen how medical schools and accrediting bodies have prioritized identity politics over merit,” Miceli said.

Do No Harm believes the bill will have a positive effect on American medicine for all people.

“By removing ideological indoctrination from medical schools, the EDUCATE Act refocuses these academic institutions on training doctors to provide high-quality care to all patients,” Miceli told The Fix.

The Association of American Physicians and Surgeons has also spoken out against the inclusion of DEI in medicine.

“In treating patients, physicians should be striving to do their very best for each patient, not trying to eliminate ‘disparities’ or make reparations for historic injustice — as schools and the [American Medical Association] are advocating,” Dr. Jane Orient, AAPS’s executive director, told The Fix in an email over the weekend.

Despite receiving support from some medical organizations, there has been a great deal of pushback from others.

The Association of American Medical Colleges released a statement opposing the act right after it was introduced in March 2024.

AAMC supports DEI, and believes it has a positive role in healthcare. “The presence of diversity, equity, and inclusion in medical school curricula is intended to train the next generation of physicians to respond most appropriately to the rapidly diversifying populations that they will serve,” the association stated.

The Asian Pacific American Medical Student Association also issued a statement at the time, voicing its opposition to the legislation.

“Attacks on DEI in medical education clearly contradict a core tenet of our mission. We therefore reiterate our opposition to the EDUCATE Act and urge legislators to oppose,” PASMA stated.

The student organization supports DEI in medicine. “Campus DEI structures provide physicians in training the tools to address the health needs of an increasingly diverse population, providing learning environments that help students from various backgrounds overcome implicit biases that contribute to disparities in treatment and health outcomes,” it stated.

Neither AAMC nor PASMA responded to multiple requests for comment via email from The Fix over the past two weeks.

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U.S. Sen. John Kennedy, a Louisiana Republican, initially introduced the bill in March 2024, The Fix reported at the time. However, the bill did not advance in the Senate, which had a Democrat majority at the time.

When he reintroduced the bill in May, Kennedy stated in a news release: “American medical schools are the best in the world and should remain free from discrimination, politicization, and acceptance of anything other than excellence. The EDUCATE Act bans race-based mandates at medical schools, protects the First Amendment and civil rights of students, and promotes objective, science-based medicine.”

U.S. Rep. Greg Murphy, the bill’s sponsor in the House, said he believes medical schools must be “free from discrimination” and “politicization.”

“Excluding individuals based on appearance or beliefs in the name of diversity is wrong and debases the integrity of the profession. Doctors must be taught to treat patients with the highest quality of care regardless of who they are,” the North Carolina Republican stated in a news release.

Neither Kennedy’s nor Murphy’s spokespeople responded to The Fix’s emails, asking about the bill’s effect on medical schools, the claim that DEI restrictions limit free speech, and the bill’s chances of being passed under the new Republican-led Congress.

DEI has become common in many medical schools, and its place medicine is a commonly debated issue with vastly opposing views.

The University of California at San Francisco, for example, offers multiple healthcare-related student internships that require support for DEI, The Fix reported earlier this year. Applications require written statements about students’ commitment to “diversity, descriptions of students’ awareness of inequities for disadvantaged groups, and their commitment to socioeconomic/racial/ethnic justice.

A recent study in the Journal of the American Medical Association also found that medical schools are less likely to hire white male professors, according to a College Fix report.

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IMAGE CAPTION AND CREDIT: A doctor stands in front of a gay pride flag; Niyazz/Shutterstock

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