Medical school takes bold stand against DEI ideology

The University of North Carolina (UNC) School of Medicine last month announced it has disbanded its Diversity, Equity and Inclusion “task force” and will not be implementing its directives.

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) is an ideology which views humans according to skin color and genitalia and ascribes entitlements to some. DEI exploded into a multimillion-dollar industry in 2020 following the death of George Floyd, though DEI teams are often the first to be sacked in corporate layoffs.

UNC School of Medicine’s DEI department was created in 2019 and finalized in 2020. But in a letter to the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE), UNC Senior University Counsel Kristen Stevenson revealed that “[t]here is no plan to implement the Task Force’s recommendations now or in the future.”

“Even if the recommendations were revisited in the future, further review and revision would be required,” added Stevenson.

One of the recommendations “of concern” made by UNC’s DEI department was to require new applicants to provide proof of victimization — due to their skin color, genitalia or gender disorientation — to be admitted. UNC rejected the recommendation and now expressly prohibits requiring aspiring employees or students to “affirmatively ascribe to or opine about beliefs, affiliations, ideals, or principles regarding matters of contemporary political debate or social action as a condition to admission, employment, or professional advancement.”

UNC’s rejection of the directive — and of DEI — is a bold one. The DEI team’s recommendations were based at least in part on protocols from the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC), which oversees medical school accreditations.

The AAMC, which claims that America’s health systems are racist, enforces DEI at medical colleges through its accreditation arm, the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME). The LCME makes DEI a requirement for accreditation and, aside from UNC School of Medicine, it has had the desired effect.

Many medical colleges now demand applicants pledge their commitment to DEI during the application process by asking pointed secondary (school-specific) questions.

Stanford Medical School, for example, makes it clear in one of its application questions that applicants should present proof of victimization to be considered:

The Committee on Admissions regards the diversity (broadly defined) of an entering class as an important factor in serving the educational mission of the school. You are strongly encouraged to share unique attributes of your personal identity, and/ or personally important or challenging factors in your background. Such discussions may include the quality of your early education, gender identity, sexual orientation, any physical challenges, or any other life or work experiences.

University of California, Irvine School of Medicine asks applicants a similar question:

Do you identify as being part of a marginalized group socioeconomically or in terms of access to quality education or healthcare? If so, please describe how this inequity has impacted you and your community.

Western University’s Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry asks applicants to explain DEI and “why they are important”, while George Washington University’s School of Medicine and Health Sciences assumes that all applicants are motivated by DEI:

Describe how current issues regarding advocacy and social justice have impacted your motivation for medical school?

As one of its secondary questions, New York Medical College warns students to first comb through their social media accounts for any “dishonorable” content, whether past or present:

Is there anything in your social media presence (past, or present) that would bring discredit or dishonor on you, the institution, the program or profession (if applicable) or that could be considered derogatory, hateful, or threatening? (Yes/ No).

Application consultation firm Accepted cautions New York Medical College applicants to make sure their social media accounts do not reflect political arguments “other than reflecting values for diversity, equity and inclusion in genuine and meaningful ways, since these are values that medical schools wholly endorse.”

Tulane University School of Medicine openly asks its applicants for proof of victimization:

Tulane University School of Medicine values the diversity of its patients, faculty, staff, and students. Do you identify with a particular group that you believe is underrepresented among medical professionals? These include groups oriented around, but not limited to: ethnicity, race, sexuality, religion, disability, and economic background.

Stony Brook School of Medicine forces applicants to view the medical profession in the context of racism by asking, “What, in your opinion, is the role of a physician in addressing systemic racism and societal injustices?”

The University of California–Davis School of Medicine has developed a mandatory “anti-racism” course for students. Faculty at Louisiana State University Health Shreveport School of Medicine must take “annual unconscious bias training” and “cultural sensitivity, diversity, and bias training”.

There are many other examples of the DEI ideology seeping through medical schools across the country, taking firm hold in the minds of America’s future doctors.

In August, medical students at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities Medical School recited a DEI oath at their white coat ceremony:

With gratitude, we, the students of the University of Minnesota Twin Cities Medical School Class of 2026, stand here today among our friends, families, peers, mentors and communities, who have supported us in reaching this milestone. Our institution is located on Dakota Land. Today, many indigenous people throughout the state including Dakota and Ojibwe, call the Twin Cities home; we also recognize this acknowledgement is not enough.

We commit to uprooting the legacy and perpetuation of structural violence deeply embedded within the health care system.

We recognize inequities built by past and present traumas rooted in white supremacy, colonialism, the gender binary, ableism, and all forms of oppression.

As we enter this profession with an opportunity for growth, we commit to promoting a culture of anti-racism, listening, and amplifying voices for positive change.

We pledge to honor all indigenous ways of healing that have been historically marginalized by Western medicine, knowing that health is intimately connected to our environment, we commit to healing our planet and communities.

We vow to embrace our role as community members and strive to embody cultural humility. We promise to continue restoring trust in the medical system and fulfilling our responsibilities as educators and advocates. We commit to collaborating with social, political, and additional systems to advance health equity.