The University of Washington’s medical school recently decided to rename its “BIPOC Physicians Directory” into the “MD Connections Directory,” thus removing the reference to a left-wing racial buzzword in the title of its program.
The school also began advertising that the program is not only available to “Black, Indigenous, and People of Color” but is, in fact, open to all races, according to National Review.
The University of Washington was sued by the anti-DEI group Do No Harm in October for its allegedly discriminatory program.
“White physicians are ineligible to participate in the BIPOC Physicians Directory, even if they would prove to be a great resource for medical students, BIPOC or not,” the lawsuit stated. “Thus, Defendants deprive white physicians of the ‘[b]enefits’ of ‘[s]upport[ing] an important cause,’ ‘[e]xpanding [their] network,’ ‘[s]upporting [their] future colleagues,’ and ‘invest[ing] in [their] communities.’”
At the time of the lawsuit, the program was only offered to “BIPOC” students, thus allegedly depriving white students of equal opportunity to succeed at the school.
“As of October 2024,” a joint stipulation between Do No Harm and UW’s medical school describes, “the medical school’s career advising office listed the program under the heading ‘Resources for BIPOC Students’ and explained that the program allowed students to ‘connect with BIPOC physicians with identities similar to their own.’”
Opponents of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs hailed the name change and availability update as a success for racial equality.
“This is a win for University of Washington’s medical students, the medical community, and the crucial principle of equality,” said Dr. Stanley Goldfarb, founder of Do No Harm.
“We are pleased that UWSOM responded to our lawsuit by removing its discriminatory policies that barred certain students from career opportunities on the basis of race,” Goldfarb continued. “We will continue to speak out and take legal action against any discriminatory programs that undermine the integrity of our medical system.”
According to its website, Do No Harm seeks to “highlight and counteract divisive trends in medicine, such as ‘Diversity, Equity and Inclusion’ and youth-focused gender ideology.”
The organization has also accused the International Federation of Medical Students’ Association’s (IFMSA) of “blatant anti-Semitism” and sued Department of Defense officials and the University of Colorado for alleged anti-white medical scholarship discrimination.
Campus Reform has contacted the University of Washington for comment. This article will be updated accordingly.
This article was originally published at campusreform.org
