University of Kansas medical school reveals lobbying for diversity initiatives in ‘wokeness’ inventory
Jeremiah Poff
EXCLUSIVE — The University of Kansas Medical Center lobbies federal, state, and local governments to adopt more diversity, equity, and inclusion policies, according to responses from a survey the school filled out for the Association of American Medical Colleges.
The Kansas medical school’s responses to the AAMC’s Diversity, Inclusion, Culture, and Equity Inventory survey were obtained by the medical watchdog group Do No Harm through a Freedom of Information Act request and shared exclusively with the Washington Examiner. The survey results showed the school aligned with 71% of the AAMC’s diversity, equity, and inclusion goals.
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In the survey, the school acknowledged having “admissions policies and practices” that would “encourage a diverse class of students,” and says it provides scholarships to “students from diverse backgrounds.” The school also told the AAMC that it was engaged in advocacy efforts for diversity, equity, and inclusion policies at the local, state, and federal levels of government.
In response to another question, the medical school said that it also tracks admission outcomes by demographic group, including the number of applications it receives and how many are enrolled in a given class.
On its website, KU Medical Center says the institution is “committed to creating and maintaining a diverse and inclusive learning and working environment, one that nurtures growth and development for all.”
“KU Medical Center defines diversity as a state of being in which the variety of cultures, experiences, expertise and viewpoints are valued and incorporated into the fabric of our community,” the school’s website says. “Diversity encompasses age, education level, ethnicity and race, gender expression and identity, nationality, national origin, physical and mental ability, political and religious perspectives, sex, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, veteran status and other human differences.”
In an impact report on its website, KU says it offers a number of race-based affinity groups, including a group exclusively for “faculty of color,” and another for “women of color.”
The Kansas medical school is ranked as the 10th best medical school in the nation for primary care and 64th for research by US News & World Report. Its total enrollment nears 850 students, with in-state enrollees paying nearly $38,000 per year to attend.
In a statement to the Washington Examiner, Do No Harm program manager Laura Morgan said that the school’s responses to the AAMC survey “prov[e] its wokeness.”
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“KU School of Medicine is wasting resources on pleasing the AAMC instead of providing high-quality education to its students,” Morgan said. “This does a disservice to faculty, medical students, and ultimately, their future patients. Kansas taxpayers should ask why they’re helping fund an institution that’s putting divisive and discriminatory ideology at the heart of medical education.”
KU Medical Center did not respond to a request for comment.