APA Opposes Efforts to Ban Diversity Initiatives in Medical Education

On Friday APA issued astatement opposing efforts to ban diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs and initiatives in medical education.“In today’s medical schools and academic psychiatry departments, the principles of diversity, equity, and inclusion are critical to ensure that the next generation of physicians can serve the needs of evolving, diverse, underrepresented, and underserved patient populations,” the statement said .“Recently, there have been efforts to ban these principles in colleges and universities. This presents a chilling and undesirable development that restricts the ability of medical students and residents studying psychiatry to explore the various factors that impact mental health and wellness,” t he statement continued.According to aDEI legislation tracker by the Chronicle of Higher Education, 82 anti-DEI bills have been introduced in the states and Congress since 2023. Of these, 12 have become law; 12 have final legislative approval; and 35 have been tabled, failed to pass, or vetoed. The actions contained in the legislation include the following:Prohibiting colleges from having diversity, equity, and inclusion offices or staff.Banning mandatory diversity training.Forbidding institutions to use diversity statements in hiring and promotion policies.Barring colleges from considering race, sex, ethnicity, or national origin in admissions or employment.Last summer, in a decision rendered inStudents for Fair Admissions v. President and Fellow...
Source: Psychiatr News - Category: Psychiatry Tags: affirmative action APA statement DEI diversity equity inclusion legislation medical education Supreme Court Source Type: research