Dem Rep Jahana Hayes defends DEI in medical schools, says teaching ‘colonialism in healthcare’ is essential

Representative Jahana Hayes defended diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives in medical schools during a House hearing on Tuesday, arguing that topics such as “colonialism in healthcare” are essential for training physicians.

Speaking at a House Education and Commerce Committee hearing on “the impact of DEI on medical schools,” Hayes argued that DEI education helps address “racial disparities in healthcare," reducing both health disparities and improves outcomes in all populations.” Addressing medical school leaders from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), and the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), Hayes said she was “incredibly disappointed” that they “could not immediately answer the question about teaching colonialism in healthcare.”

“Teaching colonialism directly addresses the systemic roots of healthcare inequities,” Hayes said. “It exposes how historic power structures dictate who receives quality care. It’s open for future doctors to have that education to recognize how that historic legacy promotes biases and negatively impairs outcomes. That’s why you teach colonialism in healthcare.”

Hayes also said she was equally disappointed that “we have deans from California specifically who can’t immediately say ‘that the Black Panther Party was central to healthcare discussions.’”

The hearing was intended to examine whether DEI initiatives in medical schools undermine physician training. They also come amid heightened federal scrutiny of medical school admission practices.

Last month, the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division announced 15 new investigations into medical schools to determine whether their admissions policies comply with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act as it has been interpreted by the Supreme Court. 

“Many of America’s top medical schools appear more concerned about the demographics of their incoming classes than training students to succeed in the profession,” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “Under this Justice Department, we will continue to protect American students from discriminatory and illegal preferences in admissions — especially in professions as critical as medicine, where quality of training should be the top priority.”