Some U.S. medical schools may still be promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives despite official closures of related divisions, according to emails and meeting notes obtained by the watchdog group Do No Harm (DNH).

The University of Iowa (UI) announced in March 2025 that it was closing its Division of Access, Opportunity, and Diversity following a directive from the Iowa Board of Regents. However, a March 26, 2025 email obtained via a Freedom of Information Act request indicates that the university’s Carver College of Medicine (CCOM) DEI office remains "fully up and running" under a different name, now called the Program for Access and Engagement. This office was previously known as the Office of Health Parity, the Office of DEI, and before that, the Office of Cultural Affairs and Diversity Initiatives.

A May 27, 2025 email from a CCOM employee shows the school updated one office’s website description to remove references to "diversity-related accreditation criteria," reflecting changes ahead of a state law going into effect. Additionally, a June 30, 2025 email from a CCOM professor emphasized that attendance at sessions on implicit bias and other diversity-related topics is "optional."

Similar actions were noted at Rowan University’s Cooper Medicine School, where meeting minutes from March 5, 2025 suggest the Office of Diversity and Community Affairs was renamed to comply with orders.

Separately, on July 22, 2026, the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights announced it was launching new investigations into five medical schools across the United States for alleged racial discrimination in admissions.

These findings highlight ongoing complexities in how medical schools are managing DEI efforts amid regulatory and legal scrutiny.

Sources