What does DEI have to do with dentistry? Nothing, really. So why the requirement?
The College Fix reports:
UBuffalo dental school forces freshmen through DEI training on ‘structural marginalization’First-year students at the University at Buffalo School of Dental Medicine are required to complete a virtual orientation riddled with diversity, equity, and inclusion ideology.The orientation asks them to share their pronouns, investigate “structural marginalization” as a public health issue, discuss a “collective responsibility” to build inclusive communities, and consider policies that strengthen the school’s commitment to equity, diversity, and inclusion, according to the school’s website.The website displays selected student reflections from previous classes. Several student poems included “antiracist dentist” in their titles.The curriculum has drawn criticism from medical organizations following a report by Do No Harm, a nonprofit that opposes the use of identity-based ideology in healthcare and medical education.Scott De Rossi, senior fellow at Do No Harm and former dean of a public dental school, told The College Fix the organization does not object to preparing students to care for patients from different backgrounds. However, he is concerned the school’s curriculum extends beyond clinical education into “ideological formation.”“Dental school should be centered on biology, diagnosis, prevention, operative skill, ethics, evidence-based care, and service to patients, not politics,” De Rossi said.The College Fix reached out to the University at Buffalo School of Dental Medicine for comment on the report, the curriculum described by Do No Harm, and the criticism raised by medical organizations. The school did not respond.De Rossi said the initiative at UB is not unique. Similar DEI initiatives have become increasingly common throughout medical, dental, nursing, and other health professions programs.“In my own experience as a dean of a top-tier legacy public dental school, I have seen firsthand how the language and priorities of the larger research university increasingly migrate into the professional schools,” he said.He pointed to DEI offices, required training modules, faculty development requirements, and accreditation language as evidence that diversity initiatives have become embedded in professional education.“The concern is not diversity of background or respect for patients,” De Rossi said. “The concern is compelled ideological conformity and the erosion of merit, excellence, evidence, and viewpoint diversity.”
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