Racial Bias Reports Threaten Tulane Med School Accreditation

Allegations of racial discrimination in the Tulane University School of Medicine’s Graduate Medical Education program have prompted an accrediting organization to put the school on probation.

The move by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education, which provides training for new doctors through hospital residencies, comes months after a Black faculty member filed a federal lawsuit alleging instances of bias in recruiting and promotion. She also alleges that retaliatory actions were taken against her for complaining about the discrimination, which the dean of the medical school has denied.

ACGME did not release information on what specific allegations of discrimination led to the probation. {snip}

But the probationary status means an institution “has failed to demonstrate substantial compliance” with ACGME requirements. {snip} Loss of accreditation would mean a loss of federal grants and an end to Medicaid funding for training.

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A med school faculty member, Dr. Princess Dennar, filed a federal discrimination lawsuit in October. Dennar, an assistant professor of medicine and pediatrics, alleges instances of discrimination dating back to 2008 and says there were complaints from seven Black female residents made to ACGME in 2018.

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“While I deeply empathize with the students, residents, fellows, and many of my colleagues who may be unfairly impacted by Tulane’s probationary status — and I continue to offer my support to them — I believe that ACGME’s action is a positive step toward addressing concerns raised by myself and others about racism, sexism, and retaliation at Tulane University,” Dennar said in an emailed statement Thursday.

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