Loyola University Chicago’s Stritch School of Medicine has reportedly removed racial requirements from an internship program that appeared to exclude white and Asian American applicants.
According to a federal complaint, the Diversity in Surgery Visiting Sub-Internship Program had sought to “encourage medical students from racial and ethnic groups that are underrepresented in medicine to consider pursuing a career in academic surgery.”
It initially required applicants to submit a photo and be of the following racial groups: “African American/Black, Hispanic/Latinx, American Indian/Alaska Native, [or] Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander.”
Virginia-based nonprofit Do No Harm filed the federal complaint in August 2022, citing a violation of Title VI of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, which prohibits racial discrimination among entities that receive federal funding.
The complaint was filed with the Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights, which then opened an investigation.
“In violation of Title VI, medical students who are not members of one of the designated racial/ethnic groups above in bold are illegally excluded from the University’s ‘Diversity in Surgery Visiting Sub-Internship Program’ and illegally discriminated against on the basis of their race, color and national origin,” Do No Harm Program Manager Laura L. Morgan wrote in the complaint.
On Feb. 17, the Education Department dropped its investigation into Morgan’s complaint, according to Campus Reform. This follows the removal of the internship program’s racial requirements, which reportedly took place about a week after the investigation was confirmed on Jan. 19.
The program’s website now states that it welcomes applications from “outstanding medical students who self-identify as underrepresented in Surgery from a social, economic, or educational perspective.”
U.S. and Canadian citizens, U.S. permanent residents and DACA recipients are eligible to apply.
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