Want more black doctors? Improve K-12 education first

So you want diversity in California’s top med schools?Then start by teaching black and brown children — and indeed, all children — to read, write and think.The US Department of Justice (DOJ) recently accused the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine of race-based discrimination after a four-month investigation.The DOJ claims that UCSD favors black and Latino students over white and Asian applicants, using a loophole the school created by asking “hardship questions” that reveal racial identity.The stakes are high.

Last year, the National Institutes of Health awarded UCSD over $400 million for research, which could now be at stake, since federal funding requires compliance with federal regulations.  Here’s a thought: How about helping all students reach high standards, rather than skirting the law to favor some who don’t quite meet the mark?The DOJ alleges UCSD’s admissions rate for black applicants (6.18%) was almost three times the rate of whites (2.45%), despite lower median grades and Medical College Admissions Test (MCAT) scores.While administrators defend what they call “merit-based admissions,” critics have said for years that UC schools have been trying to reinsert race into the process, despite the race-neutral requirements of Proposition 209, passed by California voters in 1996.Medical schools in particular should prioritize merit, given the potential impact of less capable doctors on public health.The problem is larger than UCSD.

We as a society are starting too late by focusing on post-secondary education.The core issue is black and brown student achievement in K-12 schools.

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