Nation's largest medical residency accreditor closes DEI department, retires mandates
Months after the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education began rolling back DEI initiatives, diversity-focused policies have been virtually eliminated from the organization.
An organization that oversees graduate medical training in the United States has shut down its diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) department, eliminating all related requirements from its accreditation standards.
The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME), which accredits more than 13,700 residency and fellowship programs nationwide, announced the move in a September 5 letter to members of the Graduate Medical Education community.
The letter, obtained by advocacy group Do No Harm, framed the move as adapting to “evolving national priorities.”
The decision comes in response to recent executive orders and federal directives from President Donald Trump, which bar accrediting bodies from requiring or promoting DEI initiatives in order to remain eligible for federal funding.
In its announcement, ACGME said it will no longer enforce DEI-specific accreditation requirements, has revised organizational policies and procedures, and has formally closed its Department of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. The accreditor has also removed its DEI webpage and is in the process of updating application materials and related guidance for programs, with those revisions expected later in September.
An archived version of the ACGME’s DEI webpage shows the accreditation council considered diversity among physicians to be a key part of its mission as late as July.
ACGME’s rollback of DEI initiatives began shortly after President Donald Trump signed an April 29 executive order aimed at rooting ideological agendas out of accreditation organizations.
Accrediting groups like ACGME have exercised enormous influence over medical schools and residency programs, effectively forcing them to embed DEI initiatives as part of compliance. The Trump administration’s directives have shifted that framework, placing merit-based standards at the center of accreditation instead.
[RELATED: Medical school accreditor halts DEI program evaluations]
The accreditor’s decision marks one of the most significant shifts in medical education policy in recent years.
By aligning its accreditation rules with Trump’s executive orders, ACGME is reshaping the training pipeline for physicians nationwide and prioritizing excellence over politically driven initiatives.
