University at Buffalo Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences

Following a 2020 petition, the School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences will "provide anti-racism training."

The school's Office of Inclusion and Cultural Enhancement offers a series of "Safe Learning" Workshops and state that "Our workshops help everyone gain a fuller understanding of how a number of issues — including unconscious bias, microaggressions and lack of cultural competence — undermine diversity and inclusion, as well as collaboration."

On September 23, 2022, the school announced, "A new medical curriculum with anti-racism at its core is being designed and implemented at the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at the University at Buffalo."

The school's Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Committee is listed under "Resident Committees" and is "comprised of 10-12 residents and faculty members, who are involved in designing curricula on this very important concept affecting our nation at all levels." The committee continues, "With these educational sessions, we hope to bring awareness among our community of racial and implicit biases and the steps we can take to achieve health equity." 

The school's Department of Surgery outlines its Diversity and Inclusion initiatives and stated that the department is "committed to incorporating the issue of systemic racism into our core surgical curriculum" which includes "The introduction of Health Disparities curriculum into General Surgery training" and "Piloting a Longitudinal Health Disparities Elective at Roswell Park."

Following a 2020 petition, the School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences "has established Social Justice and Equity Administration Leadership fellowships to help medical and biomedical sciences grad students work on projects that address social, educational or health care inequities via $3,500 scholarships plus travel expenses."

The Department of Surgery sponsors a summer diversity research mentorship program where it gives summer research positions to underrepresented minority students with an interest in surgery at the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences. Selected candidates gain regular experience in the OR, mentoring from an attending surgeon, and join a research project studying health disparities. Fellows receive a $3,000 stipend ($1,500/month) for their participation.

The school's Department of Pediatrics shared a Campus News article published on February 18, 2022 titled "UB to hold panel discussion on critical race theory." The GSE (Graduate School of Education) standing committee for Equity, Diversity, Justice and Inclusion (EDJI) "organized the program to provide context for the challenges society faces related to critical race theory and to offer guidance for teaching and learning about race and racism in K-12 schools."

The Department of Surgery has an "Endowed Lectureship on Gun Violence and its Causes." The series is titled "Beyond the Knife," and the 2023 keynote speaker was Dr. Brian H. Williams, "who has excelled in several leadership roles in the military, academic medicine, public health, and public policy."

The School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences has a Diversity Advocates Program where faculty members serve as champions for diversity and inclusion within their respective departments, and as their department liaison to the Office of Inclusion and Cultural Enhancement. Advocates comprise of faculty members in each of the medical school’s 27 departments, nominated by their chair and appointed by the medical school dean.

The School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences participated in Igniting Hope, an annual conference. During 2022 conference, students were told to "use your knowledge and expertise to address hate and racism."

On June 30, 2023, the school signed on to the Associated Medical Schools of New York (AMSNY) statement in response to the Supreme Court's decision regarding race-conscious admission policies, which stated the following: "The consortium of the 17 medical schools of New York State, is profoundly concerned that the United State Supreme Court decisions in Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard and Students for Fair Admissions v. University of North Carolina will diminish opportunities for talented students pursuing careers in medicine and science. These decisions reject a longstanding precedent that recognized the compelling interest of ensuring diversity in higher education and may undermine recent advances to address inequities in medical education and research."

On June 29, 2023, the school published its response to the Supreme Court's decision regarding race-conscious admission policies , which stated "As a school dedicated to equitably providing the highest level of health care to all people, the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences echoes UB President Satish K. Tripathi’s message reaffirming our UB values of social justice and diversity in the wake of the Supreme Court’s decision on race-conscious admissions programs."

In March 2021, the School of Medicine announced that the Department of Surgery launched an anti-racism and health care equity initiative to "address and mitigate the effects of systemic racism and inequality in health care." Its inaugural event was a February 18, 2021 virtual conference titled “Beyond the Knife: Anti-Racism & Health Equity,” featuring Dr. Cornel West--a Harvard University professor, bestselling author, political activist, and public intellectual--as its guest speaker.

In July 2023, the New York Post reported that SUNY Buffalo Med School faces a federal civil rights complaint over running a science prep program that gives admissions preference to “historically underrepresented” students over whites and Asians. Professor William Jacobson, the founder of the Legal Insurrection Foundation, commented on the inequality in the article.

The medical school has an Award of Excellence for Promoting Inclusion and Cultural Diversity. This award acknowledges individuals whose actions, example, and efforts "contribute to a respectful and supportive environment at the university and in the Western New York community."

The medical school highlighted the various ways it has celebrated Black History Month, including honoring DEI leaders in the community and featuring several student organizations.

On August 8, 2023, there was a casting call for people to be featured in an art mural celebrating diversity and inclusion. The Medical Alumni Association and the Office of Inclusion and Cultural Enhancement collaborated to seek subjects to represent the Jacobs School and the mural will be located inside the medical school.

The medical school gives out the Joseph Robert Love Scholastic Leadership Award, which recognizes inspirational leadership by an individual or a group of medical students for "groundbreaking service and dedication to advancing the Jacobs School’s commitment to inclusion, diversity, equity and social justice — leading to a culturally competent learning environment across disciplines."

On April 19th, 2023, the medical school hosted a Social Justice Fellowship Research Symposium where medical, master’s, and doctoral fellows presented their research findings.

The school has a Diversity and Inclusion Fellowship for first-year medical students "whose individual life experiences and perspectives will enhance inclusion in [the] community."