Assessing Medical Student Applicants and Matriculants and Medical School Selection Criteria

New York University School Of Medicine, New York NY

Investigators

Abstract

ABSTRACT The affirmative action restrictions issued by the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) on June 29, 2023, significantly limit the use of race-conscious admissions in higher education. The impact of this court ruling extends beyond undergraduate education to encompass MD and MD-PhD programs, where affirmative action has played a vital role in raising the representation of Black, LatinX, and Native American students from less than 2% in 1964 to over 20% in 2022. Prior state-level affirmative action bans have been associated with a 37% relative reduction in the proportion of matriculated students from underrepresented ethnoracial backgrounds. As such, restricting affirmative action nationally threatens decades of progress in improving healthcare workforce diversity. This is alarming, considering the benefits of an ethnoracially diverse physician and physician-scientist workforce, which include improved access to care, higher quality of care, better treatment outcomes for both minoritized and white patients, and greater scientific innovation. The consequences of the SCOTUS affirmative action restrictions are currently unknown, and the ruling poses several knowledge gaps that we seek to address in this study. Firstly, we will determine the impact of the SCOTUS affirmative action ruling on MD and MD-PhD program racial and ethnic diversity and the climate of equity and inclusion within MD and MD-PhD programs. Second, we will describe how MD and MD-PhD programs adapt applicant selection criteria following SCOTUS restrictions on race-conscious admissions. Third, we will characterize the application and matriculation experiences of Black, LatinX, and Native American MD and MD-PhD students following SCOTUS affirmative action restrictions. Our findings will be disseminated widely as peer-reviewed scientific publications, conference presentations, policy and advocacy reports, and podcasts to various stakeholders in education and health policy via partnership with the Association of American Medical Colleges, the American Medical Association, and the National Academy of Medicine.