FIRST ON FOX: A new report conducted by the non-profit organization Do No Harm (DNH) is causing alarm medical school allegedly “circumventing” a 2023 Supreme Court ruling rejecting the use of race-based factors in admissions.
DNH says it “represents doctors, nurses, medical students, patients and policymakers” in an effort to keep “identity politics out of medical education, research and clinical practice.” The organization previously published a report which found that “many in the health establishment remain ideologically committed to the principle of racial favoritism and reject the virtue of racial blindness” despite the high court ruling.
DNH says a previous report also found that the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) “and several medical specialty societies and medical schools” had “reprimanded” decision of the Supreme Court shortly after it was delivered by means that included “veiled threats to circumvent the Court’s decision”.
Activists demonstrate as the Supreme Court hears oral arguments on a pair of affirmative action cases, Washington, DC on October 31, 2022. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)
The newly released data, titled “Skirting SCOTUS: How medical schools will continue to practice race-conscious admissions,” used MCAT data and available admissions data. DNH noted that because the AAMC does not release data at the school level, it is not “immediately clear” which medical schools continue to implement affirmative action and to what extent. The data also excludes public universities, which are already banned from engaging in such practices.
A new report by Do No Harm (DNH) is sounding the alarm over the “circumvention” of medical schools by the Supreme Court’s 2023 decision rejecting the use of race-based factors in admissions. (Getty)
“Among the thirteen schools that reported clear racial/ethnic demographics for the classes of 2027 and 2028, four experienced an increase in the proportion of black or Hispanic students,” the report said.
“Fidelity to the SFFA is not only measured by year-over-year demographic changes, but is also a function of the degree to which affirmative action influenced pre-SFFA admissions policies,” the report continued.
The report states that if the penalty meted out to “white and Asian applicants was modest,” the demographic change would be reflected as such and vice versa.
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The study noted that “outcomes at Quinnipiac, Maryland, Chicago, and Duke stand out as schools where admission rules are particularly noteworthy” given that the schools “admit black and Hispanic medical students at a rate that far exceeds their representation in the applicant pool (13% in 2024).”
“That fact, combined with the reality that black and Hispanic medical school graduates have significantly lower GPAs and MCAT scores than other graduates, is a signal that schools continue to penalize or reward students based on race,” the report said. .
The study noted that “outcomes at Quinnipiac, Maryland, Chicago, and Duke stand out as schools where admissions policies are particularly noteworthy” given that the schools “admit black and Hispanic medical students at rates that far exceed their representation among applicants pool (13% in 2024).” (Lance King/Getty Images)
“It’s pretty shocking and appalling how flagrantly some of these medical schools are distancing themselves from the Supreme Court’s ban on affirmative action,” Ian Kingsbury, director of research at DNH, told Fox News Digital. “You can see it in the data, and then you can connect that data to the statements that the schools themselves make, where the Supreme Court publicly rebukes them and where they talk about the importance of diversity in their admissions process.”
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“It is unclear whether the decision to stop publishing data after the SFFA is accidental, a gesture to cover up the improper implementation of the SFFA, or an attempt to hide the statistical reality associated with proper implementation,” the report continued. “Given the AAMC’s push to continue racial discrimination, coupled with the reality that many medical schools are in the grip of far-left ideologues, these schools—and dozens of others that have not released any data—do not automatically acquire the presumption of innocence.”
The US Supreme Court struck down the use of race as a factor in college admissions in a 6-3 decision in 2023. (Reuters/Evelyn Hockstein)
“It’s kind of a sobering reality that, unfortunately, so far, Students for Fair Admissions has not addressed the issue of racial discrimination in higher education,” Kingsbury said. “And there’s still work to do.”
US Supreme Court rejected the use of race as a factor in college admissions in the 2023 6-3 decision.
The judges decided two separate legal disputes over how Harvard University — a private institution — and the University of North Carolina — a public institution — decide who fills their classrooms.
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The student activist group Students for Fair Admissions filed lawsuits against both universities. The group in the beginning sued by Harvard in 2014 for violating Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, which “prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, or national origin in any program or activity receiving federal funds or other federal financial assistance.”
Fox News Digital has reached out to AAMC, Quinnipiac University, University of Maryland, University of Chicago and Duke University for additional comment.
The AAMC referred Fox News Digital to its latest release of data on medical school applicants and 2024 admissions.
“We are encouraged by the increase in first-time medical school applicants. The AAMC and its member medical schools are committed to continuing our efforts to increase the supply of physicians and increase the breadth of knowledge and experience in the applicant and graduate cohorts that are critical to the future physician workforce. Evidence shows that a more diverse workforce can improve access to health care and the health of our communities,” David. J. Skorton, MD, president and CEO of the AAMC, said in a statement.
