ACP submits statement on the use of race in university admissions

A federal court ruled July 15 that race can be taken into consideration in university admissions. The case, Fisher v. the University of Texas Austin, was filed by a student who was denied undergraduate admission in 2008.

Prior to the decision, ACP joined with the Association of American Medical Colleges and other health care organizations in submitting a statement to the court in favor of the continued use of affirmative action in increasing diversity in the nation's health care workforce in order to reduce health care disparities. This decision is in keeping with long-standing ACP policy to encourage minority enrollment in medical and health professional schools to make for a diverse health care workforce that is more representative of the patients it serves.