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• Posted January 14, 2025

Will We Have Fewer Doctors of Color?

Medical schools have experienced a steep decline in enrollment among Black and Hispanic students since the Supreme Court banned the consideration of race in admissions.

The number of Black medical students fell by nearly 12% in 2024 compared to the year before, declining for the third year in a row, according to results published in the Association of American Medical Colleges.

Likewise, enrollment among Hispanic medical students declined by nearly 11%, the AAMC says.

American Indian/Alaska Native enrollment dropped a precipitous 22%, while Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander enrollment declined a little more than 4%.

This happened even though White enrollment remained the same and Asian enrollment increased by more than 8%, the AAMC report says.

Experts had been concerned that the June 2023 Supreme Court decision would lead to a decline in diversity at medical schools.

This could harm efforts to address racial disparities in health care, as some have chalked the problem partly up to patients not being treated by doctors who share similar backgrounds.

“In the wake of the 2023 U.S. Supreme Court decision on the consideration of race in admissions and state-level policies ending funding for diversity, equity, and inclusion programs, medical schools are operating in a new environment,” Dr. David Acosta, the AAMC’s chief diversity and inclusion officer, said in a news release from the organization.

Doctors from racial and minority groups are more likely to care for Medicare and Medicaid patients, and to work in communities with limited access to health care like rural areas, experts say.

“Evidence shows that a more varied workforce can improve access to health care and the health of our communities,” Dr. David Skorton, president and CEO of the AAMC, told STAT.

Essentially, enrollment of Black and Hispanic medical students has returned to pre-pandemic levels, the report found.

That said, total medical school enrollment remains more racially and ethnically diverse than it was in 2017-18.

Between then and now, Black enrollment has increased from under 8% to a little more than 10%, and Hispanic enrollment increased from 10% to more than 12%, the AAMC says.

“In order to continue to recruit and matriculate strong classes, it is critical that schools support pathways programs and use effective race-neutral admissions practices and tools,” Skorton said. “The AAMC and our member medical schools remain committed to increasing the number of students from historically underrepresented groups.”

However, many universities and medical schools are pulling back on efforts to promote diversity, equity and inclusion, in the face of legal challenges and threats to cut funding, said Utibe Essien, an assistant professor of medicine at UCLA.

“The efforts to increase these numbers are really starting to dwindle,” Essein told STAT. “Things will get worse before they get better.”  

More information

Harvard Medical School has more on diversifying the health care workforce.

SOURCE: Association of American Medical Colleges, news release, Jan. 9, 2025