Course Content Sparks Controversy
Leaders of the medical schools at UCLA and UC San Francisco confirmed Tuesday they have discontinued mandatory diversity, equity, and inclusion courses criticized for promoting political activism. The move follows investigative reports and a congressional probe into curriculum content that included claims about weight loss being a "hopeless endeavor" and endorsements of unlawful infrastructure takeovers.
UCLA medical school dean Steve Dubinett and UC San Francisco chancellor Sam Hawgood testified before the House Committee on Education and Workforce that the courses fell short of academic standards. The classes, part of first-year training, had been required under since-rescinded accreditation rules emphasizing health disparities education.
Tim Walberg (R., Mich.), the committee chair, called the courses "propaganda" that fail to train competent physicians. "These classes prioritize far-left activism over medical science," he stated, citing examples such as UCSF's promotion of an anti-Israel protest that disrupted organ transport.
Legal and Policy Implications
The testimony comes amid ongoing legal battles. The Justice Department concluded in May that UCLA "continues to intentionally discriminate based on race" in admissions, contradicting Dubinett's assertion that race plays "no role" in applicant decisions. The department's investigation began after whistleblower claims about lowered standards for Black and Hispanic applicants.
Both schools faced scrutiny over course materials. UCLA's "Structural Racism and Health Equity" class assigned readings on "decolonization" and "ableist heteropatriarchal capitalism," while UCSF's curriculum linked Gaza's humanitarian crisis to "structural trauma" akin to redlining. A UCSF guide instructs clinicians to use phrases like "pregnant people" instead of "pregnant women," though Hawgood noted most pregnancies involve women.
UCSF students are encouraged to report "white supremacy culture" manifestations like "objectivity" or "individualism" through a portal called SAFE, part of broader efforts to address "education trauma." UCLA previously hosted a guest speaker who led anti-Israel chants and a discussion glorifying the self-immolation of Aaron Bushnell, a U.S. serviceman who set himself on fire outside the Israeli embassy.