In June 2023, the US Supreme Court issued a groundbreaking ruling that marked a turning point in efforts to bolster representation of people from ethnic minorities in higher education admissions.1 The court determined that affirmative action policies—those considering race and ethnicity as key criteria for admission—are unconstitutional, as they breach the equal protection clause of the Constitution of the United States. Students for Fair Admissions, a non-profit legal advocacy organisation, initiated these lawsuits, challenging Harvard University and the University of North Carolina for implementing admission practices it deemed to be racially discriminatory.
This landmark ruling places a formidable hurdle on the path to diversity in US nursing, medical, and broader healthcare science schools. The importance of diversity in these educational arenas extends beyond the make up of the healthcare workforce—it affects health equity for the entire population they serve. An amicus brief submitted by the Association of American Medical Colleges, supported by 45 other healthcare organisations, underscored the crucial role that racially diverse healthcare teams have in promoting positive medical outcomes and elevating the quality of care for all, with a notable emphasis on minority groups. To illustrate this, a 2023 study found that, for every 10% increase in the number of black primary care physicians, the life expectancy of black individuals rose by one month. Research shows that a diverse, representative healthcare workforce substantially improves the quality of communication, comfort level, and trust in patient-practitioner relationships and enhances health outcomes for patients who seek care from physicians with similar or shared backgrounds.
Read Tony Yang's op-ed in the BMJ.