The Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) seems to have taken a page out of the “if you can’t defend it, delete it” playbook, quietly scrubbing and restricting access to information on its website following a report that laid bare its commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies. The move came in response to an exposé by Do No Harm, a group focused on removing political agendas from the field of medicine. The report detailed how the AAMC, which oversees much of medical education in the U.S. and administers the MCAT, has used its clout to push DEI initiatives, leaving many wondering why a supposedly neutral organization is so openly championing divisive ideologies.
Do No Harm’s report appears to have hit a nerve. The AAMC quickly pulled details about federal and private grants it had received and limited access to a database that tracked the race and gender of medical personnel. Critics argue that such actions don’t exactly scream transparency, especially for an organization that claims to prioritize fairness and equity. If DEI is such a cornerstone of their mission, why bury the information now? It raises the question: is the AAMC more concerned about public scrutiny than advancing its self-proclaimed objectives?
Laura Morgan, Senior Director of Programs at Do No Harm and the report’s author, called out the AAMC for its sudden cloak-and-dagger routine. She pointed out the irony of an organization so proud of its DEI efforts pulling down information about the grants supporting those very initiatives. The archived details, included in Do No Harm’s report, revealed millions of dollars in funding from government agencies like the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). If this work is as noble as the AAMC claims, why not leave the data up for public review?
One particularly eyebrow-raising grant from the CDC pledged over $4.5 million to “build confidence in COVID-19 vaccines among health care personnel and communities disproportionately impacted by COVID-19.” While promoting vaccination is a legitimate public health goal, the specific focus on DEI-linked initiatives within the medical field has drawn criticism for prioritizing ideology over practicality. The partnership with the CDC and the broader funding relationships highlight just how deeply intertwined the AAMC’s DEI agenda is with federal dollars. Yet, instead of standing by these programs, the organization has opted for a digital disappearing act.
The AAMC’s actions serve as a reminder of the growing trend among powerful institutions to push divisive social agendas under the guise of public service, only to retreat when the spotlight gets too intense. For an organization that claims to uphold transparency and fairness, scrubbing information when faced with scrutiny doesn’t exactly inspire confidence. Perhaps the AAMC hoped this would all go unnoticed, but as Do No Harm’s report demonstrates, the public is starting to pay attention—and they’re asking tough questions about where the money is going and what values are driving the future of medical education.
