Reconciling LCME Diversity With Federal Law Mandates for Affirmative Action on the Basis of Disability, Gender, Race/Ethnicity, and Veteran Status.

Abstract

To the Editor: Meeks and colleagues criticize the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME) for defining diversity “with specific references to many marginalized groups” (e.g., racial, ethnic, socioeconomic), “but not to individuals with disabilities.” 1 Golden and Petty similarly call for the “integration of disability into diversity and inclusion initiatives” 2 and for inclusion of disability into diversity data collection, because measurement is necessary for improvement. The authors would be pleased to learn that academic medical centers (AMCs), as federal contractors, are required “to take affirmative action to employ and advance in employment qualified individuals with disabilities” 3 and to collect disability diversity data under Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act. 3,4 These and other affirmative action requirements are not currently reflected in the LCME’s diversity standard. The LCME’s diversity standard requires AMCs to engage in “recruitment and retention activities, to achieve mission-appropriate diversity outcomes” for faculty and senior administrative staff, 5 and tells AMCs that they have discretion to choose their own diversity categories “based on the program’s mission, goals, and policies.” 5 In reality, however, AMCs do not have unbridled discretion to choose their own diversity categories for faculty and senior administrative staff recruitment and retention activities. As federal contractors, AMCs are required to engage in employment affirmative action, collect diversity data, and adopt specific numerical placement/hiring goals for persons with disabilities under Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act; for women, Blacks, Hispanics, Asians/Pacific Islanders, and American Indians/Alaskan Natives under Executive Order 11246; and for veterans under the Vietnam Era Veterans’ Readjustment Assistance Act. 4 Though AMCs may include additional diversity categories, they may not omit these groups from their lists of diversity categories for the purposes of recruitment, retention, and other activities to achieve diversity outcomes for faculty and senior administrative staff. The LCME’s standards and policies, and the diversity data collection activities of the Association of American Medical Colleges and American Medical Association, should be amended accordingly.