Answering the Call — Sustaining Equity Efforts in the Face of Regression

This perspective article reflects on the abrupt withdrawal of a Veterans Affairs hospital from a national health equity study due to new federal bans on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives. The authors recount the growing momentum of their DEI-focused curriculum and the devastating effects of policy regression on health equity work. They argue that structural inequities in medicine cannot be addressed without deliberate educational and systemic reform and warn that banning DEI efforts will disproportionately harm marginalized populations. The piece calls on healthcare professionals, institutions, and society to uphold and protect the pursuit of equity in medicine as a moral and practical imperative.

This perspective article reflects on the abrupt withdrawal of a Veterans Affairs hospital from a national health equity study due to new federal bans on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives. The authors recount the growing momentum of their DEI-focused curriculum and the devastating effects of policy regression on health equity work. They argue that structural inequities in medicine cannot be addressed without deliberate educational and systemic reform and warn that banning DEI efforts will disproportionately harm marginalized populations. The piece calls on healthcare professionals, institutions, and society to uphold and protect the pursuit of equity in medicine as a moral and practical imperative.