The American Academy of Dermatology on Sunday voted to reject a proposal to end its diversity, equity and inclusion programs, in what Black dermatologists are calling a small victory for the organization and the field in general.
The academy, a nonprofit organization of dermatologists in the U.S. and Canada, has been embroiled in DEI-related controversy since February, when dozens of members co-authored a resolution looking to put an end to DEI initiatives and programs being implemented in the institution. The group called the resolution “Sunsetting all diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs” and held that the “DEI movement” would do more harm than good to the branch of medicine. News of the resolution spread quickly, with several news outlets detailing the diversity battle brewing in the AAD.
For very smart people, Doctors seem unusually prone to dumb and/or shady ideas. My pet theory is that, if they’re going to succeed in a hypercompetitive, rigorous, and important field, they’re forced to specialize so early (in a general “pick a career” sense, not the later medical specialties sense) that they end up both not well-rounded and lavishly praised for their intelligence and confidence. That sounds like a recipe for confirmation bias to me.
Any “applied” science like medicine or engineering leads to overly pompous assholes who think that their knowledge in one specific field makes them a genius at everything.