EXCLUSIVE — The University of Kansas Medical Center is lobbying federal, state and local governments to adopt more diversity, equity and inclusion policies, according to responses to a survey the school compiled for the Association of American Medical Colleges.
Kansas Medical School responses to the AAMC’s Diversity, Inclusion, Culture and Equity Survey were obtained by the Do No Harm medical watchdog group through a Freedom of Information Act request and shared exclusively with the Washington Examiner. Survey results showed that the school is aligned with 71 percent of the AAMC’s diversity, equity and inclusion goals.
FAILED DEGREE: WHAT IS DEI AND HOW DID IT SPREAD ONTO UNIVERSITY CAMPUSES?
In the survey, the school acknowledged that it has “admissions policies and practices” that “would encourage a diverse class of students” and says it provides scholarships to “students from diverse backgrounds.” The school has also told the AAMC that it is committed to advocacy initiatives for diversity, equity and inclusion policies at the local, state and federal levels.
In response to another question, the medical school said it also tracks admissions results by demographic, including how many applications it receives and how many are enrolled in a given class.
On its website, KU Medical Center states that the institution is “committed to creating and maintaining a diverse and inclusive learning and work environment that nurtures growth and development for all.”
“KU Medical Center defines diversity as a state of being in which the variety of cultures, experiences, skills, and viewpoints are valued and incorporated into the fabric of our community,” the school’s website states. “Diversity includes age, education level, ethnicity and race, gender identity and expression, nationality, national origin, physical and mental abilities, religious and political perspectives, gender, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, veteran status, and other human differences “.
In an impact report on its website, KU says it offers a number of affinity groups based on race, including one group exclusively for “faculty of color” and another for “women of color.”
Kansas medical school is ranked the 10th best medical school in the nation for primary care and 64th for research by US News and World Report. Its total enrollment approaches 850 students, with state enrollees paying nearly $38,000 a year to attend.
In a statement to Washington ExaminerDo No Harm program manager Laura Morgan said the school’s responses to the AAMC survey “prov[e] his vigil.”
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
“KU School of Medicine is wasting resources to please the AAMC instead of providing high-quality education to its students,” said Morgan. “This does a disservice to the faculty, to medical students, and ultimately to their future patients. Kansas taxpayers should ask themselves why they are helping to fund an institution that is putting divisive and discriminatory ideology at the heart of education medical”.
KU Medical Center did not respond to a request for comment.
