On March 19, 2024, Rep. Greg Murphy, MD (R-NC) introduced the Embracing anti-Discrimination, Unbiased Curricula, and Advancing Truth in Education (EDUCATE) Act (H.R. 7725) to Congress. The bill would amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 (P.L. 89-329) to prohibit graduate medical schools from receiving federal funding, including student loans and federal research grants, if such schools adopt policies and requirements relating to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). These policies include the maintenance of DEI offices and affinity groups, as well as the use of diversity statements. Rep. Murphy, the author of the bill and a practicing urologist, claims that DEI is a divisive and discriminatory philosophy that undermines medical education and results in a less qualified physician force. The bill comes amid an alarming nationwide political assault on DEI, as more than 80 bills restricting or regulating DEI in higher education have been introduced in 28 states and the US Congress since 2023. 

As an organization committed to addressing the unique health challenges of AANHPI communities, National APAMSA condemns the EDUCATE Act and will continue to support DEI policies in healthcare and health professions education alongside leading medical associations from across the country. APAMSA affirms that DEI neither exists in opposition to merit, nor does it jeopardize the quality of medical education––these are myths propagated to fuel a political agenda. While by no means perfect, campus DEI structures provide physicians in training the tools to address the health needs of an increasingly diverse population, providing learning environments that help students from various backgrounds overcome implicit biases that contribute to disparities in treatment and health outcomes. The evidence is abundantly clear: diversity in healthcare improves patient outcomes, and in effect creates a more qualified physician force.

National APAMSA unequivocally supports DEI initiatives in our policy compendium (Resolution 40.002) and in recent statements. Attacks on DEI in medical education clearly contradict a core tenet of our mission. We therefore reiterate our opposition to the EDUCATE Act and urge legislators to oppose HR 7725.