Black doctors question the elimination of diversity of criteria for medical school accreditation

On 19 May, the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME) voted to remove diversity partnerhoods and programs from its evaluation criteria for medical schools that grant ‘MD’ degrees, which quote the growing action at state level of diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.

According to Vs todaythe committee indicated That those hard -handed are contrary to the standards of the accrediting body and the drop of diversity standards would enable them to determine a single series of accreditation expectations that all schools, regardless of their location and current legislative environment, must meet. “

A spokesperson for a connecting committee also told the exhaust valve that the committee came to the decision after “thoughtful and careful consideration and discussion”, but regardless of what their arrival has facilitated diversity from their evaluation criteria, doctors who have worked to increase the diversity.

Dr. Virginia Caine, the president of the National Medical Association, an organization that represents black doctors, said that the decision left her ‘stupidly beaten’.

“We were just stunned by this decision by LCME,” she said, before pointing to studies that indicate that black patients often have better health results and are more concerned with doctors in black first -line care.

“We have such a rich and incredible history of talented black doctors,” Caine, who is also director of public health of Marion County, Indiana; told the outlet. “If we switch off access before they even enter medical schools or academic schools, we will just become a nation that is not so creative, not so innovative and not so successful.”

Until its point, although the percentage of black doctors rose from 2.6% in 2019 to 5.2% in 2022, according to figures from the Association of American Medical Colleges, it is still lagging behind Black Americans ’13, 7% share of the American population.

On 22 May also the National Medical Association A statement released condemning the attacks on diversity, fairness and inclusion by the federal government.

“The orders of federal administration to reduce diversity, equity and inclusion (dei) has a negative influence on access to medical education for the next generation of black doctors. The contact committee for medical education (LCME), an accrediting organ for medical educational programs that lead to an American of Medicine and jointly sponsor and the Assocational and the Assocational and the Assocational and the Associals and the Associals and the Associals and the Associals and Diploma and the Associals and the Associals and the Associals and the Associals and the Associals and Diploma and the Associals or Medical and Diploma and the Association or Medical and Medicals of the Association and the Association or Medicalta or Diploma or the Association or Medicine or Medicalan or Medicalan or Medicalan Association and the American Medical Association has these changes in achieving the intellectual consequences for elimination qualified.

In addition, there are more than 150 medical schools in the United States, medical schools at Four HBCUs, the Howard University College of Medicine, the Morehouse School of Medicine, the Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science, and Meharry University, and Meharry University Outprest mainly white settings When it comes to producing black doctors, who further underline the point of Caine.

According to Dr. Osose Obeh, who completed its residence in internal medicine at Johns Hopkins University after completing the medical school at Michigan State University, is the relocation of the LCME together with the action against diversity, fairness and inclusion “.

“There is an attack on something that is actually good,” said Oboh. “Diversity has been renamed the chance of giving unqualified people, while in reality it is increasing exposure to qualified people.”

Dr. Oboh confirmed the earlier statements of Dr. Caine about how black patients deal with black doctors and told a copy when she had to give her black patients.

“They (the patient’s family) were so grateful to receive it from me,” said Oboh. “They understood why we take the steps we take and why we were going to do the interventions we were going to do. They felt like no one else had explained it to them.”

RDelighted content: Anti-dei efforts make a damper on black student recruitment at medical schools