The SAMHSA Minority Fellowship Program is under scrutiny by a medical reform group that claims the initiative discriminates by prioritizing applicants from specific minority backgrounds. The program, run by the Department of Health and Human Services, aims to increase behavioral health professionals from underrepresented communities. A “Minority Fellowship Program” run through the Department of Health and Human Services appears “discriminatory,” according to a medical reform group.
The program, offered by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, does not explicitly state that it excludes white applicants.
However, it does “especially encourage” African American, Alaskan Native, American Indian, Hispanic/Latino, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander students to apply.
According to Do No Harm, “prioritizing the recruitment of certain racial groups for valuable opportunities like the MFP is still discrimination.” The group regularly files lawsuits against programs it views as discriminatory.
The group pointed out in its news release that only one of the 29 members of the 2023-2024 Resident Fellowship Program cohort—administered under the American Psychiatric Association— was white. The purpose of the program is to train “culturally competent professionals…who are committed to improving behavioral health outcomes for underserved, ethnic minority communities.”
Do No Harm, which seeks to root out racial discrimination and DEI policies in medicine, provided further comments to The College Fix.
“Programs like SAMHSA’s Minority Fellowship Program need to be open to all,” Medical Director Kurt Miceli told The Fix via a media statement. “Targeting groups based on identity is discriminatory and certainly shouldn’t come at taxpayers’ expense.”
Dr. Miceli said there is more the Trump administration can do to address these issues. Upon taking office, Trump issued directives ordering universities to not discriminate on the basis of race and ensuring the federal government prioritized merit over DEI in its operations.
Dr. Miceli provided The Fix insight via email on what the Trump administration has done and can do to address these issues.
“In an effort to restore meritocracy, we have seen the Trump Administration actively engage in rolling back racially discriminatory programs through agency-level actions and legal enforcement,” Miceli said. “Congressional legislation aligned with the Administration’s work, like the EDUCATE Act, will further enshrine into law policies ending divisive and discriminatory DEI thereby promoting fairness and excellence.”
The EDUCATE Act is a pending law introduced by Louisiana Republican Senator John Kennedy that would restrict DEI programs in medical schools that receive federal funds.
The Fix emailed SAMSHA asking how it would respond to critics like Do No Harm and whether it has taken actions to ensure all programs follow federal law. After a follow-up phone call almost a week later, the agency said it would respond but did not.
A table showing the demographics of recent winners of the fellowship. Created by Psychiatry.org.
The Fix also submitted a media request to the HHS asking the same questions and additionally, if it would be interested in looking into the fellowship program and to ensure it complies with the law. The Fix followed up with a voice message a week later but did not receive comment.
Under the Trump administration, programs that discriminate on the basis of race have garnered legal scrutiny.
The PhD Project, for example, removed racially exclusionary wording from its website following a Department of Education investigation. Conservative activist Christopher Rufo also drew attention to the program on his X account.
The federal investigation covered 45 different college campuses. However, the project is on around 300 campuses, as previously reported by The Fix.
The project previously said its goal was to build a “stronger, more diverse workforce” and “support the creation of business PhDs from historically underrepresented groups.”
The project also emphasized “Data-Driven DEI” and how the organization’s “member network has proven invaluable in supporting minority groups which have been underrepresented in doctoral programs.”
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IMAGE CAPTION AND CREDIT: Participants in one of the SAMSHA programs; SAMSHA Minority Fellowship Program at ANA/Facebook
Also Read: Understanding the Intersection of Gender, Race and Lupus
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