Trump’s war on diversity in medical education could shorten Americans’ lives

Abstract

Building a diverse medical workforce is a crucial step to improving population health outcomes, write Gavin Yamey and Michael D Green The Trump administration and its allies have recently taken several steps to ensure that medical schools in the US dismantle all diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies. The consequences that this will have for Americans’ health are likely to be catastrophic because research has shown that having a physician workforce that represents the population can improve patients’ experiences and outcomes.12 In July 2025, the conservative non-profit organisation America First Legal, which was founded by Trump adviser Stephen Miller and has been described as an “attack dog” for the Trump administration,3 filed a complaint to the US Justice Department against the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. It alleges that the school’s promotion of DEI actively discriminates against people on the basis of race, sex, and other identity based characteristics.4 Even before Trump’s return to power, Miller had reportedly planned to “change the government’s interpretation of civil rights-era laws to focus on ‘anti-white racism’ rather than discrimination against people of colour.”5 In May, an executive order targeted the use of DEI based standards in accrediting medical schools and medical residency programs.6 More recently, the secretary of health and human services, Robert F Kennedy Jr, and education secretary Linda McMahon sent our institution, Duke University, a …