Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) programs are under attack across the country. Critics assert that DEI programs are discriminatory and should be illegal. In a post on X, Elon Musk wrote, “DEI is just another word for racism. Shame on anyone who uses it.”
The opposition is more than rhetorical. The Chronicle of Higher Education is currently tracking 82 bills in 28 states and the U.S. Congress “…that would prohibit colleges from having diversity, equity, and inclusion offices or staff; ban mandatory diversity training; forbid institutions to use diversity statements in hiring and promotion; or bar colleges from considering race, sex, ethnicity, or national origin in admissions or employment.” As of March 29, thirteen bills have secured legislative approval. Twelve have become law.
A Different View
Growing up in the waning days of Jim Crow and being mentored by my community’s only Black physician taught me what real racism looks like. When I applied to medical school in the 1970s, the bias I encountered as white male from a small Southern town was far milder, but it still stung.
During one medical school interview, a professor scanned my skimpy CV, then asked, “It says here that you worked seven summers in a foundry. Of what use is experience as a laborer to becoming a physician?” Pleased by the question, I explained that it helped me understand the lives, values, and dreams of the people I intended to serve. “Young man,” he interrupted. “Perhaps you didn’t understand my question. I asked, ‘Of what use is experience as a laborer to becoming a physician?’” Taken aback, I replied, “Sir, I understood your question. The problem is that you didn’t understand my answer.” It was the shortest interview of my life.
Nineteen years later, when Emory University tasked me with rebuilding its emergency medicine program, I resolved to look past stereotypes and recruit faculty based on character and ability. It paid off. The new additions transformed Emory EM from a struggling division into a national powerhouse. Many went on to senior leadership roles at Emory and elsewhere.
Five Stars (Among Many)
Sheryl Heron, MD, MPH, joined Emory EM in 1996. A self-described “Jamerican,” she proved to be an exceptional clinician, teacher and leader. A champion for health equity, violence prevention, and diversity in medicine, she’s coedited two textbooks and held key leadership positions in the National Medical Association, the American Association of Medical Colleges, and several EM organizations. Named a “hero of Emergency Medicine” by the American College of Emergency Physicians, she is now Associate Dean for Community Engagement, Equity, and Inclusion in Emory’s School of Medicine.
Kate Heilpern, M.D. also joined in 1996. She was so talented that a decade later I urged the dean to name her department chair. Under her leadership, Emory EM became a top recipient of NIH and other federal research grants. After 22 years of success at Emory, she was recruited by New York-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center as Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer. Today, she is Executive Vice President, Yale New Haven Health and President Yale New Haven Hospital.
Tammie Quest, M.D. joined in 1998. Soon thereafter, she became a trailblazer in bringing palliative care into emergency medicine. Named one of our nation’s 30 most influential leaders in hospice and palliative medicine in 2017, she leads Emory’s Palliative Care Center and is president-elect of the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine. Recently, Emory announced her selection as the Chief Systems Integration Officer (CSIO) of the Woodruff Health Sciences Center (WHSC).
Deb Houry, M.D., M.P.H., joined in 2002 as Associate Director of the Emory Center for Injury Control. Promoted to director five years later, she grew the Center into a 12-institution consortium with over 150 faculty members. Recognizing her talent, the CDC recruited her to direct its National Center for Injury Prevention and Control in 2014. Over the next seven years, she boosted the NCIPC’s impact by tackling important challenges such as opiate overdose. Tapped as Acting Principal Deputy Director in 2021, she is now CDC’s Chief Medical Officer and Deputy Director for Program and Science.
Leon Haley Jr, M.D., M.H.S.A., joined in 1997 to direct the Grady Memorial Hospital ER. A few years later, he was appointed Deputy Senior Vice President for Medical Affairs at Grady and Emory’s Executive Associate Dean for Clinical Services. In 2017, the University of Florida recruited him to become CEO of UF Health Jacksonville and dean of the UF College of Medicine’s Jacksonville campus. His impact was profound. Leading by example, he was the first person in Florida to roll up his sleeve for the COVID-19 vaccine. Tragically, Dr. Haley died in a jet ski accident on July 24, 2021. Community memorial services were held for him in three cities and he was mourned by thousands more across the country. The following year, Governor Ron DeSantis announced $80 million in state funding to build the Leon Haley, Jr., MD Trauma Center in Jacksonville.
Measure What Matters
None of these individuals were hired to achieve a DEI goal. We found them by advertising widely, assuring all who applied that they would be fairly considered, and selecting the most qualified candidate for each role. In America, a truly level playing field almost always increases an organization’s diversity. In 2021, Emory’s EM residency program was nationally recognized for diversity and inclusion.
Prior to the passage of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, many medical schools excluded certain applicants based on race, gender, ethnicity, or religion. For years afterward, admission decisions were largely based on Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) scores, grade point averages and the prestige of the applicant’s undergraduate institution.
Recently, medical schools have adopted a broader view, based on the fact that nearly all applicants with an MCAT score above a certain threshold do well. Also, MCAT scores don’t capture important personal qualities such as integrity, altruism and grit. Some committees consider “distance traveled” by applicants who got their start in community college or are the first in their family to earn a bachelor’s degree. Experience working as an EMT, nurse’s aide or waiter is at least as valuable as work in a lab. Applicants from the bottom three quintiles of family income deserve equal consideration with their wealthier peers.
The Bottom Line
Patients don’t care if their doctor can remember arcane facts. They value physicians with compassion, judgment, and excellent clinical skills. In medical school, students are taught that “the patient doesn’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.” College and graduate school admission committees, faculty search committees, state legislators and members of Congress should take this lesson to heart.
