In 2023, the Supreme Court ruled that colleges and universities cannot consider race in their admissions decisions. As a result in 2024, there was a nearly 12 percent decrease in Black matriculants at U.S. medical schools.
This past May, the U.S. Department of Justice announced that after an investigation, it had determined that the University of California at Los Angeles and Yale University continued to consider race in their medical school admissions decisions. The Department of Justice estimated that Yale’s “use of race resulted in a Black applicant having as much as 29 times higher odds of getting an interview for admission than an equally strong Asian applicant.” Yale has stated that it is currently seeking a voluntary resolution to avoid litigation.
In June, the Justice Department opened new investigations into potential race discrimination in admissions at 15 unnamed medical schools. “Many of America’s top medical schools appear more concerned about the demographics of their incoming classes than training students to succeed in the profession,” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division.
On July 14, the House Education and Workforce Committee held a hearing entitled, “Training Activists, Not Physicians: The Impact of DEI on Medical Schools.” Demetria McCain, the director of policy for the Legal Defense Fund, issued a statement prior to the hearing, which read in part: “Diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility initiatives make medical schools – and health care – better. The evidence is clear that welcoming talented and qualified Black students into the medical profession ultimately leads to better care, especially for Black patients.”
Adelita Grijalva, a Democrat Representative from Arizona, stated at the hearing: “We can’t afford to have fewer physicians. We can’t afford for them not to understand how to treat our most vulnerable communities. Now, instead of helping Americans, Republicans are sitting here targeting medical schools.”
