STAT News (05/01/25) McFarling, Usha Lee

A recent executive order focuses on the use of "DEI-based" standards to accredit universities. In particular, the order notes two organizations that accredit medical schools and residency programs — Liaison Committee on Medical Education and the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education — for mandating that institutions have recruitment and retention policies that encourage diversity among medical personnel. Accreditors that engage in "unlawful discrimination" could have their federal recognition revoked, the order indicates, noting that "the standards for training tomorrow's doctors should focus solely on providing the highest quality care." Some experts have expressed concern that the order not only follows others aiming to end DEI programs but also may try to interfere with the accreditation system, potentially opening up the accreditation business to entrepreneurs who might create services that seem more palatable to the White House. Under the order, the Department of Education is called on to "resume recognizing new accreditors to increase competition and accountability." Bryan Carmody, a pediatric nephrologist and assistant professor at Eastern Virginia Medical School who has studied the accreditation process, noted: "This is a big deal that threatens to shake up the medical training system in the U.S." The extent of the changes is still unclear, he said.

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