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Medical schools rebrand DEI offices under new names, report says
ReMedical schools rebrand DEI offices under new names, report says
A report examining six U.S. medical schools finds that several have renamed their diversity, equity and inclusion offices while keeping much of the same programming, as federal scrutiny of DEI rises.
Several U.S. medical schools have renamed their diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) departments while leaving much of their programming intact, according to a new report by. The findings come as the Trump administration increases scrutiny of DEI programs in higher education and medicine.
The report examined six medical schools: Drexel University College of Medicine, Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell, Saint Louis University School of Medicine, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University, and the University of Nevada, Reno School of Medicine. Although the departments have been renamed, the report found that their programming has remained largely unchanged, despite some softened language since President Donald Trump began his second term in 2025.
William Jacobson, a Cornell Law School professor and founder of the Equal Protection Project, said the renaming is not meaningful. "The programming hasn't changed," he told Fox News Digital. He said that in several examples cited in the report, programs were simply shifted to a different department or placed under a different name. Jacobson argued that the schools were using terms such as "belonging," "engagement" and "excellence" as substitutes for DEI language. "Medical schools are the worst when it comes to DEI," he said.
At Drexel, the Office of Community Health and Inclusive Excellence was described in an announcement as incorporating the functions of the former Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. According to the university's website, the office supports a Diversity Week and the college's Diversity in Medicine Research Symposium. At Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell, the report says the DEI office was rebranded as the Office of Engagement & Excellence, whose featured events include student-led "Safe and Brave Spaces" and "Diversity Night."
Hofstra University spokesperson Terry Coniglio told Fox News Digital that the Zucker School "supports all students while remaining consistent with its institutional values and applicable law." Northwestern's Feinberg School of Medicine once had a DEI office, the report says, but it has since been replaced by the Office of Health Equity, which offers Safe Space Training open to students, trainees, staff and faculty and aimed at educating LGBTQIA+ allies.
The report also cites a November 2025 Campus Reform account stating that Temple's Lewis Katz School of Medicine renamed its Office of Health Equity, Diversity and Inclusion to the Office of Strategic Partnership in Health, Education and Resources (SPHERE), which still promoted "equity" programs. At the University of Nevada, Reno School of Medicine, the report says DEI programs moved from the Office of Diversity and Inclusion to the university's Multicultural Center, which describes itself as a hub of cultural, LGBTQIA+, gender-focused and social justice initiatives.
In response, UNR Med said that after multiple unit reorganizations, the dean's staff includes an associate dean for inclusive excellence but no named office. It said the Multicultural Center serves the entire university and does not conduct student recruitment, admissions or enrollment, and that the school abides by accreditation standards and remains compliant with federal, state and constitutional law.
Fox News Digital also requested comment from Drexel, Saint Louis University, Northwestern and Temple, but had not received responses at the time of publication.
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