Fighting for Fairness in Health Care

The Trump administration has been pushing hard against diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs. This has put many health care providers and researchers in a tough spot. They fear that important health research and programs might get cut. This could happen either because of direct orders from the Trump administration or because institutions try to avoid upsetting them. The administration sent a letter to Harvard. It demanded that the university stop its DEI programs or risk losing billions in federal funding. This has made doctors and researchers even more worried. They fear that efforts to reduce health disparities might be shut down. Since Trump took office, Harvard-affiliated hospitals have had to deal with a deadline. They had to promise they don't have any "illegal" DEI programs to keep getting federal grants. Dr. Bruce Fischl, a professor at Harvard Medical School, is concerned. He thinks this could hurt programs that help young students from disadvantaged backgrounds get into biomedical fields. Fischl has seen the impact of such programs firsthand. He runs a neuroimaging lab at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH). The lab has an internship program for high school and undergraduate students. These students get to observe and participate in brain research on diseases like Alzheimer's. The goal is to make biomedical research less mysterious and give young people more opportunities. More than half of the students who have participated in the program are children of first-generation immigrant families. One of them was even hired as a research associate in the lab. Fischl believes this program helps young people thrive in environments they wouldn't normally have access to. It's not about lowering standards but about giving more people a chance to show their merit. The Trump administration's letter to Harvard was tough. It demanded that the university adopt "merit-based hiring policies" and stop all preferences based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. It also wanted Harvard to shut down DEI programs, saying they foster division and hatred. The letter also accused Harvard of not protecting students and faculty from antisemitic violence and harassment. Several Jewish doctors at Harvard Medical School are worried. They think meeting the administration's demands could actually increase hatred of Jews. It could also undermine merit-based programs and hurt research at Harvard's hospitals. Rachel Petherbridge, a doctoral student at Harvard Medical School, is also concerned. Her research includes descriptions of race and population data, which she fears might get caught up in the crackdown on health-equity research. The crackdown on diversity programs has been criticized by many physicians and researchers. Scott Delaney, a research scientist at the Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, is concerned. He thinks the administration is using diversity programs as an excuse to cut university funding and undermine scientific research. He fears that the targets of the administration's review will keep widening. One veteran physician-scientist at MGH hopes Harvard will stand up to the Trump administration. He sees this as bullying and thinks capitulating to a bully never works out. He hopes that not only Harvard but all academic institutions will resist this autocratic approach.