Skip to content

University of Michigan Medical School

Medical School

Mailing Address
1301 Catherine Street
Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109
Phone
(734) 936-4000
Email address
UmichMedAdmiss@umich.edu
School Information
"When the University of Michigan founded its medical school in 1850, it immediately assumed a leadership role in American academic medicine. We were the first medical school in the United States to recognize the importance of, and to build, a university hospital for physician instruction. We were also a pioneer in the introduction of the modern science-based curriculum, and were among the first schools to change the role of the student from passive observer to active participant in the learning process through high-caliber laboratory instruction and clerkships. We also enjoy a unique place in the annals of education as one of the very first major medical schools to admit female students and minorities. In the more than 165 years of service to students, these firsts, and many more, have galvanized our reputation as one of the nation’s premier public research-oriented medical schools." The school enrolls 785 medical students, 629 doctoral students, 818 graduate students, and 190 Master's students. It also employs 3,965 faculty. (Source: https://medicine.umich.edu/medschool/about) (Source: https://medicine.umich.edu/medschool/about/facts-figures)
General Information
The University of Michigan Medical School’s Anti-Racism Oversight Committee recommends that the school, “Incorporate critical race theory, health justice, and intersectionality framework into doctoring materials.” The committee will facilitate the, “Recruitment of critical race theory, health justice education, and intersectionality expert(s) to develop scholarship/update med school curriculum, residency/educator training.” The school’s Anti-Racism Oversight Committee recommends that the school implement “Education for faculty on how to teach intersectionality, health justice, and critical race theory from materials developed by recruited experts.” See developments below:

Actions Taken

Admissions Policies
  • The organization Do No Harm also compiled "Verbatim excerpts from secondary application questions posted on ProspectiveDoctor.com." According to the report, the school asks, "If you recognize and/or represent a voice that is missing, underrepresented, or undervalued in medicine, please describe the missing voice(s) and how increased representation in medicine could impact the medical community."
Anti-Racism, Bias, and Diversity Training
  • In December of 2021, the University of Michigan Medical School announced on social media that it has created a Student Diversity Council, a platform used for “dismantling racism” and promoting “diversity, equity, and inclusivity.”
  • In August of 2021, the University of Michigan Medical School announced on social media that the school created its Leadership and Enrichment for Academic Diversity program, which consists of a two-week long schedule “centered around diversity, leadership, and social justice through early exposure to UMMS culture and resources available to ensure our success through medical school.”
  • In August of 2021, the school highlighted its annual Health Equity Leadership Program on social media, which is intended to “any U.S. fourth-year medical student in good standing who shares an interest in health equity, diversity, and inclusion work.”
  • On January 10, 2022, the Office For Health Equity & Inclusion announced that it would "partner with Organizational Learning and various departments across University of Michigan to provide a comprehensive Implicit Bias training to meet newly adopted guidelines set forth by the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA)." The FAQ section states that, "All faculty, staff and learners within Michigan Medicine and Medical School must take this mandatory course." 
  • The school's Office of Faculty Affairs and Faculty Development published a downloadable link for the "Office for Health Equity and Inclusion Faculty Recruitment Toolkit" which highlights specific "strategic elements" such as "Focused and ongoing implicit bias training and efforts to decrease the influence of bias in faculty searches and recruitment."
Curriculum Changes and Requirements
  • The school’s Anti-Racism Oversight Committee recommends that the school, “Incorporate critical race theory, health justice, and intersectionality framework into doctoring materials.” The committee will facilitate the, “Recruitment of critical race theory, health justice education, and intersectionality expert(s) to develop scholarship/update med school curriculum, residency/educator training.”
Disciplinary Measures
  • The school’s Anti-Racism Oversight Committee recommends that the school, “Provide anti-racism, critical race theory, health justice, and intersectionality resident education for residents as applied to medical care and include curriculum based on Ibram Kendi’s ‘Stamped from the Beginning’ book.”
Faculty/Staff Requirements
  • The school’s Anti-Racism Oversight Committee recommends that the school, “Incorporate Speaking up in Universal and Leadership Skills training” and “Incorporate Speaking up in New employee and faculty orientation.”
  • The school’s Anti-Racism Oversight Committee recommends that the school implement “Education for faculty on how to teach intersectionality, health justice, and critical race theory from materials developed by recruited experts.”
  • The school announced, “A cluster which included the Schools of Information, Nursing, Pharmacy, Public Health along with the department of Learning Health Sciences in the Medical School joined together to answer a new university-wide call for Anti-Racism Faculty Hiring Initiative proposals. Their submission, built around using informatics and data science methods to detect, understand, and reduce structural racism within healthcare, and racial healthcare disparities, was recently selected for funding.” The school also said, “These five new faculty members added across their five units will address multiple levels of racism focusing on the following themes; (1) Racial bias and unintended racist consequences in data, algorithms, and technologies that enable healthcare; (2) The intersection of racial residential segregation with healthcare access, quality, safety, and health outcomes; (3) Data-driven, anti-racist, health policy analysis regarding racial disparities in health insurance, healthcare access, quality, and safety; (4) Healthcare provider education and point-of-care informatics interventions to reduce providers’ implicit racial biases and enhance their structural competence; and (5) Community-driven, technology-enabled models of healthcare delivery that address racism as a social determinant of health and empower racialized communities in service/intervention design.”
  • On January 10, 2022, the Office For Health Equity & Inclusion announced that it would "partner with Organizational Learning and various departments across University of Michigan to provide a comprehensive Implicit Bias training to meet newly adopted guidelines set forth by the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA)." The FAQ section states that, "All faculty, staff and learners within Michigan Medicine and Medical School must take this mandatory course."
Program and Research Funding
  • The school's UM-SMART Program is "designed for undergraduate students who have an interest in obtaining a combined MD/PhD degree leading to a career in academic medicine as a physician-scientist performing basic research relevant to human health and disease." The eligibility section states that "Individuals from underrepresented racial or ethnic groups" are strongly encouraged to apply.
Resources
  • The Office of Health Equity & Inclusion released Anti-Racism Support and Tools, which include “75 Things White People Can do to fight injustice” and the National Museum of African American History and Culture’s “Talking about Race.”
  • The school’s Office of Health Equity & Inclusion has an Anti-Racism Oversight Committee, which was asked to “Develop and recommend a plan around contributions we can, and must make to eliminate racism and inequities that may exist today at Michigan Medicine,” “Identify practices that contribute to racism and discrimination and recommend changes for Michigan Medicine, if needed,” and “Identify an approach that achieves an anti-racist culture and utilize the dashboard to track the progress and outcomes.”
  • The school’s Anti-Racism Oversight Committee recommends that the school create an “Accessible Antiracism toolkit that is available for all levels of faculty, staff and learners in the organization.”
  • The school’s Anti-Racism Oversight Committee recommends that the school create a “DEI-informed professional development program for Security and Guest Safety Services staff.”
  • The Department of Pathology launched the Pathology Anti-Racism Taskforce (PART), which “aims to eliminate racism within the health system, on the Michigan campus, and within the greater community.” The task force will “provide the department with several new resources including educational materials, tools for change, in-person training, and open dialogue about present issues.”
  • The Department of Family Medicine transformed its “traditional morbidity and mortality conference to a health-equity quality conference, that provides a whole-patient review, including SDOH and how these influence care and use our findings to improve the care we provide.”
  • The Graduate Program in Immunology hosted an “Anti-Racism Teach-in,” which engaged “analytical frameworks for examining systemic cultural, social, economic, and political forces in the community along with individual reflection.”
  • The Department of Urology held a “Grand Rounds Anti-Racism Series.”
  • The Office of Faculty Affairs & Faculty Development held a workshop on “Facilitating Conversations for an Anti-Racist Workplace,” which discussed “an approach to use a guiding template for facilitating 15-minute anti-racism discussions with their team. We will also share a plan on how to begin conversations on sensitive topics, and view a conversation in action.”
  • The Department of Family Medicine has an “Antiracism and Health Equity Program (AREP)​.” The program “was created to expose and address health inequities caused by structural racism and intersecting forms of oppression through our research and scholarship as a primary care academic department. The program is part of the larger DEI effort in the Department of Family Medicine.”
  • The Department of Psychiatry offers “Anti-Racism Resources for Parents,” including “Stamped for Kids” by Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi.
  • The University of Michigan Medical School highlighted the “Stories We Share” platform on its social media. This platform is student-run and seeks to amplify diversity, equity, and inclusion.
  • In January of 2021, the University of Michigan Medical School highlighted the “Doctors of Tomorrow” initiative on its social media. “Doctors of Tomorrow” is “a partnership between Cass Technical High School and the University of Michigan Medical School focused on exposing underrepresented minority students in Detroit to careers in medicine and providing mentorship to help them pursue this path.”
  • In January of 2022, the University of Michigan Medical School highlighted the “Partnering for Change: Amplifying Our Collective Voices” conference on social media. The conference is focused on “sharing solutions to increase diversity in medicine.”
  • In August of 2021, the school announced on social media that it hosted the 2021 Region V Regional Medical Education Conference, which focused on “increasing diversity in medicine.”
  • In Fall of 2020, the school announced on social media that it would launch “anti-racist recruitment practices, pipeline programs, and mentorship.”
  • The school's Office for Health Equity and Inclusion developed an "Anti-Racism Oversight Committee (AROC)" in response to the "Racial Discrimination and Social Unrest Survey, and concerns presented by the Black Medical Student Association and White Coats for Black Lives." AROC is comprised of six subcommittees and is "responsible for developing implementation strategies or multidisciplinary problem solving/decision making, driving action forward, and for deciding the cadence of regular subcommittee meetings as necessary."
  • On June 15, 2023, the school's Anesthesiology Department hosted an event titled "The Black-Jew Dialogues: A Multicultural Comedy." According to the events description, the goal of this performance was to "promote open and respectful conversation among our audience members about their differences."
  • On March 21, 2023, the school announced that its Faculty Equity and Inclusion Award would be given to Marcia Perry, M.D., a clinical assistant professor and associate chair for diversity, equity, and inclusion in the Department of Emergency Medicine. Dr. Perry has "established a legacy of advocacy and leadership in diversity, equity, and inclusion within not only the Department of Emergency Medicine, as the inaugural Associate Chair for DEI, and throughout the University of Michigan, where she developed and continues to direct the University of Michigan House Officer Programs and the Health Equity Visiting Clerkship program through the Office of Equity and Inclusion."
Symbolic Actions
  • The Department of Family Medicine has a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee.
Last updated July 24th, 2023
©2024 Critical Race Training in Education. All rights reserved.