US medical schools should consider race in admitting students

Medical schools should continue to consider race when admitting students despite recent US court decisions against “affirmative action” (positive discrimination), said Dr Jordan Cohen, president of the Association of American Medical Colleges, which represents all 125 medical schools in the United States.

Affirmative action benefits the profession and patients and is particularly timely because of efforts to make it unlawful to consider race when making admissions decisions, he wrote in an article in Health Affairs (2002;21:90-102)

A more diverse medical profession would improve cultural competency (understanding the beliefs and language of patients), increase patients' access …