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AAMC Reporter: June 2007
A Word from the President:
A Lesson in Time: Strengthening Our Commitment to Diversity
Our longstanding commitment to promoting diversity
in medicine is reflected in many ways throughout
the AAMC. We have a deep investment in diversity
research, programs, and initiatives that foster meaningful
change. We established what is now the Division
of Diversity Policy and Programs, continued our advocacy
for diversity in Congress and the courts, and most
recently, launched our new career marketing campaign,
AspiringDocs.org to increase diversity in medicine.
Diversity also figures prominently in our ongoing
strategic thinking and positioning process, which will
chart the association's course for the foreseeable future.
However, we recently learned of a decision made over
50 years ago by the AAMC which reminds us that—while dedicated to the education, health, and well-being
of all—we sometimes have fallen far short of our ideals.
Earlier this year, we received a letter from Harvard
Medical School professor, Alvin F. Poussaint, M.D.,
regarding the AAMC's 1950 decision in which we
declined to take a stand against segregation and discrimination
in medical schools. In his letter, Dr. Poussaint
asked that we rectify the decision and consider the
importance of "owning" our institutional history.
Our Executive Committee took this issue to heart and
expressed its deep regret for the association's decision
57 years ago. The committee's discussion of the matter,
along with Dr. Poussaint's letter, are now a part of the
AAMC permanent record. But to truly "own" this history,
I think we must do more than accept accountability.
I think we now have the unique opportunity to
engage in the type of institutional self-reflection that
not only will strengthen our commitment to diversity,
but guide us in our future decision making.
The Executive Council decision in 1950 stemmed from
a request by Dr. W. Montague Cobb, who asked, "If discrimination
and segregative practice are bad, why not
say so as an organized body?" (At the time, African
American students made up only 2.5 percent of the
medical student population overall, with most attending
the predominantly black schools of medicine, Howard
and Meharry.) Dr. Cobb, a leading anthropological scientist
and professor of anatomy at Howard, was also the
first black physical anthropologist to hold a Ph.D., and
a tireless advocate for equal opportunity in the medical
and health care professions.
According to the meeting minutes of October 20, 1950,
the AAMC Executive Council gave "sympathetic consideration"
to Dr. Cobb's letter, but reaffirmed its "traditional
position" that it was not within the association's
"scope" to "take action on matters that are within the
jurisdiction of the individual medical school and a matter
of internal administration within that school." Seeing
the council's actual words in print may make us uncomfortable
and, I would imagine, cause many to wonder
how "ownership" of an incident so long ago could
strengthen our current commitment to diversity.
The answer, I think, can be found in "On Apology," a
book by our colleague Aaron Lazare, M.D., the distinguished
former chancellor and dean of the University
of Massachusetts Medical School. Drawing from both
historical and current events, Dr. Lazare describes the
many purposes apology serves in the healing and
restoration of relationships between individuals,
organizations, and even nations.
According to Dr. Lazare, the type of self-awareness
needed to apologize, in some cases, is only possible once
a sufficient amount of time has passed, and an individual
or organization has the "maturity" to understand the
harm inflicted. Today, we understand better the entirety
of the late Dr. Cobb's life and work. We see how a gifted
and prolific anthropological scientist, social activist,
and future president of the National Association for the
Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), came to
personify the struggle for equal opportunity in higher
education. We better appreciate how denying Dr. Cobb's
request held the potential for extending barriers to all
too many students hoping to pursue medical careers.
I think this chapter in our history helps remind us why
we developed pipeline programs such as the Health
Professions Partnership Initiative, and today sponsor
the Summer Medical and Dental Educational Program,
numerous career fairs, and the Minority Faculty Career
Development Seminar. Ironically, many of these activities
are so well-established within the fabric of our organization
that we may forget what their presence represents.
But we cannot truly take pride in these accomplishments
unless we are willing to acknowledge our shortcomings.
We simply must "take the bad with the good."
It is by owning our history, writes Dr. Lazare, that an
aggrieved party is able to feel that current efforts are
sincere and that values are truly shared. That view is
shared by Dr. Poussaint, who wrote that taking responsibility
for the association's 1950 action "makes the commitment
to diversity that the association is campaigning
for that much more meaningful."
Naturally, any exercise that causes reflection on the past
raises an inevitable question. What are we doing, or
not doing, now that future generations might be
asked to rectify? Are we living up to our other ideals?
What will be said of us in 2064? Who are the "Cobbs" of
today, and are we listening to them? These are especially
important questions as we move forward in the current
process to clarify our strategic priorities, with diversity
high among them.
While it is truly unfortunate that we cannot personally
convey our regret to Dr. Cobb for the AAMC Executive
Council's inaction in 1950, we can honor his courage
and activism by strengthening our resolve to work even
harder to increase diversity in medicine. We extend our
heartfelt thanks to Dr. Poussaint for raising our awareness
of a chapter in our history where we fell short of
our ideals, for stimulating our institutional self-reflection,
and for showing how "owning our past" can
deepen our commitment in the future.
Darrell G. Kirch, M.D.,
AAMC President
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