NAMME Statement on the Supreme Court Ruling in Students for Fair Admissions v. University of North Carolina (SFFA v. UNC) and Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard University (SFFA v. Harvard)
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
NAMME Statement on the Supreme Court Ruling in Students for Fair Admissions v. University of North Carolina (SFFA v. UNC) and Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard University (SFFA v. Harvard)
Washington, D.C., June 23, 2023 – The National Association of Medical Minority Educators, Inc. (NAMME) condemns the United States Supreme Court’s decision regarding SFFA v. UNC and SFFA v. Harvard. Inequities in health outcomes for minoritized populations, citizens of rural and underserved communities are still persisting at alarming rates. Decades of research demonstrate there is material benefit to having providers from a diversity of backgrounds, particularly from Black and Latino/a populations, that understand the cultural and circumstantial factors that influence health outcomes. Moreover, the corrosive and crippling vestiges of racism is still at play within our society. This reality serves to exacerbate the extent of the crisis in disparate health outcomes for historically excluded populations and thus warrant an expansion of policies and initiatives that increase the availability of health careers for all of our citizens. The decision today diminishes those opportunities.
NAMME remains steadfast and unwavering in its efforts to increase the representation of individuals from historically excluded populations in the health professions. We encourage a robust response from members of the NAMME community and partners within the health professions education and healthcare communities to advocate for high quality and safe healthcare for all citizens. Congress must act immediately to codify the important gains made in funding the Department of Health and Human Services Title VII and Title VIII programs that ensure pursuit of a diverse healthcare workforce that is equipped to address the richly diverse needs, cultures, and circumstances of the increasingly diversity patient populations it serves.
About the National Association of Medical Minority Educators, Inc. (NAMME): Established in 1975, NAMME is the lead organization in providing informational resources, training and advocacy to stakeholders working to insure diversity in the health professions.
