UCLA faculty voice: DACA students represent the students we want, the doctors we need

UCLADr. Clarence Braddock IIIClarence Braddock III is vice dean for education of the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. Kelsey Martin is dean of the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. Thiscolumn originally appeared in U.S. News and World Report.Many eloquent voices have been raised in opposition to the move by President Trump and some members of Congress to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, program, justly protesting the profoundly negative, destructive impact it would have on the individuals and properly condemning its inconsistency with our values and history as a nation. We seek to add to this chorus an additional, yet unique, set of observations on the impact this action would have on a distinct group of young people: those who are currently engaged in training to become physicians.UCLADr. Kelsey MartinWhile the impact on the trainees would be harsh, the end of DACA would have broader, more profound implications for our health care system and the education of the next generation of health care leaders. The David Geffen School of Medicine, like the wider University of California system, is committed to the principle of providing a place for students who are the most qualified, meritorious and committed. The DACA students currently at the David Geffen School of Medicine, like those in other medical schools around the country, exemplify these qualities. They are emblematic of our most fundamental role as an institution of higher learning: t...
Source: UCLA Newsroom: Health Sciences - Category: Universities & Medical Training Source Type: news