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‘There is so much to learn, and no time for politicized indoctrination,’ expert says
First-year students at the University at Buffalo School of Dental Medicine are required to complete a virtual orientation riddled with diversity, equity, and inclusion ideology.
The orientation asks them to share their pronouns, investigate “structural marginalization” as a public health issue, discuss a “collective responsibility” to build inclusive communities, and consider policies that strengthen the school’s commitment to equity, diversity, and inclusion, according to the school’s website.
The website displays selected student reflections from previous classes. Several student poems included “antiracist dentist” in their titles.
The curriculum has drawn criticism from medical organizations following a report by Do No Harm, a nonprofit that opposes the use of identity-based ideology in healthcare and medical education.
Scott De Rossi, senior fellow at Do No Harm and former dean of a public dental school, told The College Fix the organization does not object to preparing students to care for patients from different backgrounds. However, he is concerned the school’s curriculum extends beyond clinical education into “ideological formation.”
“Dental school should be centered on biology, diagnosis, prevention, operative skill, ethics, evidence-based care, and service to patients, not politics,” De Rossi said.
He added that this initiative at UB is not unique. Similar DEI initiatives have become increasingly common throughout medical, dental, nursing, and other health professions programs.
“In my own experience as a dean of a top-tier legacy public dental school, I have seen firsthand how the language and priorities of the larger research university increasingly migrate into the professional schools,” he said.
He pointed to DEI offices, required training modules, faculty development requirements, and accreditation language as evidence that diversity initiatives have become embedded in professional education.
“The concern is not diversity of background or respect for patients,” De Rossi said. “The concern is compelled ideological conformity and the erosion of merit, excellence, evidence, and viewpoint diversity.”
Looking ahead, he predicted that many institutions may continue similar initiatives under different names even as public scrutiny of DEI programs grows.
“I expect this trend to move in two directions at once,” he said.
“On one hand, public scrutiny, legal challenges, state-level reform, and changes in accreditation expectations are already forcing some institutions to retreat from the most explicit DEI requirements. On the other hand, many schools will likely rebrand the same concepts under terms like belonging, health equity, inclusive excellence, structural competency, or social accountability,” he said.
“The issue is whether professional schools are preserving standards, intellectual freedom, merit, and evidence-based education or continuing to embed political ideology into the formation of future clinicians,” De Rossi said.
He also told The Fix that Do No Harm has not received a formal response from the University at Buffalo regarding its report.
The Association of American Physicians and Surgeons echoed these concerns in an email to The Fix, arguing that healthcare providers should focus on treating patients as individuals rather than members of demographic groups.
AAPS is a “non-partisan professional association of physicians,” according to its website.
“The AAPS perspective is that physicians and dentists should do the best they can for every patient, who is seen as an individual, not a member of some designated group,” Dr. Jane Orient said.
Orient said the only patient characteristics that should influence diagnosis or treatment are medically relevant biological differences, such as genetic conditions or physical factors that affect clinical care.
“There is so much to learn, and no time for politicized indoctrination,” Orient said, adding that professional education should measure competency rather than demographic characteristics.
She also said the AAPS has criticized the increasing emphasis on pronoun use and diversity initiatives in professional education, arguing that dental schools should focus on preparing students to provide high-quality patient care.
The College Fix reached out to the University at Buffalo School of Dental Medicine for comment on the report, the curriculum described by Do No Harm, and the criticism raised by medical organizations. The school did not respond.
