Experts warn that leading medical schools across the US are beginning to embrace “wokeism” instead of teaching and preparing the next generation of doctors.
dr Stanley Goldfarb, a University of Pennsylvania nephrologist and often critical critic of wake levels in the medical field, penned an op-ed for the New York Post warning that many of the nation’s top medical schools screen prospective students for progressive beliefs before they do do it for actual medical talent.
He highlights top programs at Harvard Medical School, Columbia University, Duke University, the University of Pittsburgh, and others that ask applicants to answer questions about their understanding of racism, social, and political issues — and how they work in their Studies will contribute to progressivism.
Goldfarb has previously warned that wokeism is having an impact on the way medical schools recruit students. In June, he announced that five leading medical schools in the US had implemented policies that could restrict access for white students.
Harvard University Medical School, the top-rated institute in America, is asking students to speak out about how minority cultures, race and sexual orientation can hinder access to medical education
Columbia University’s Vagelos College of Physicians, ranked third in America, asks students how their life experiences can support the school’s commitment to diversity
“Elite medical schools intentionally recruit awakened activists, jeopardizing their mission to train doctors,” Goldfarb said.
He reviewed the top 50 medical schools as ranked by US News and World Report, one of the most respected lists of college standings in the United States.
He found that a large portion of this group had questions assessing what he termed “awakened concepts.”
“It is now standard practice in all medical schools that applicants understand and accept the tenets of the Wach ideology,” he said.
America’s top ranked medical school is at Harvard in Boston, Massachusetts. He says the school asks applicants to share how minority cultures, race and sexual orientation may present barriers to accessing medical education.
dr Stanley Goldfarb (pictured) of the University of Pennsylvania says some of these “woke” questions also feed into the employee screening process
Potential students were then asked how these factors influenced their decision to pursue a career in medicine.
“Translation: tell us how you intend to solve social and political problems,” he wrote.
Columbia University’s Vagelos College of Physicians in New York City’s Blue Bastion ranks third on the list.
The school invites applicants to describe how their past experience will contribute to the school’s commitment to diversity.
Sixth-ranked Duke University School of Medicine in Durham, North Carolina, tells all applicants that the schools “stand against racism and injustice” before asking them to describe their understanding of race and health care inequalities.
The University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, ranked 14th, tells students that the school is interested in tackling systemic barriers and specifically mentions racism, homophobia and misogyny.
Prospective students are then asked how they will react to these barriers in their work.
The University of California, Los Angeles, ranked 19th, asks applicants how inequality and disparities in education and health care have affected their community.
It’s not just these high-profile institutions, either, he continues: “This worrying trend goes far beyond elite medical schools.
“We found a greater number of lower-ranking institutions that also require applicants to demonstrate their waking credibility—everything from SUNY Downstate Medical Center to Loyola University’s Stritch School of Medicine.
“It appears that the majority of American medical schools are now actively seeking ideologically aligned students.”
He warns that some schools, like Indiana University in Bloomington, require job applicants to answer similar questions as well.
“Medical schools are rushing down a dangerous path. These institutions have long lowered application and education standards in the name of diversity; now they are conducting an ideological litmus test for future doctors,” he writes.
“Recruiting awake activists instead of the most qualified candidates will both undermine trust in healthcare and result in poorer health outcomes for patients.”
Although the United States is among the wealthiest nations on earth, its healthcare system has lagged behind its peers.
America ranked last among developed nations in quality of healthcare in a Commonwealth Fund study published in 2021.
The nation also ranked last in overall patient outcomes — a staggering number for the country that is home to many of the world’s leading educational and research institutions.
