WHY MUSK IS WRONG TO EQUATE DEI WITH LOWER STANDARDS

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) programmes in the US have proved divisive - with the right up in arms over policies that could mean greater numbers of people of Colour and marginalised genders in the professional arena. In an interview last year with Don Lemon, Elon Musk claimed that this risks lowering standards - with potentially fatal consequences.

In this clip, a board-certified surgeon responds to that, explaining why the idea is flawed. Dr Ruthie (@i.am.dr.ruthie) points out that DEI efforts focus on recruiting and retaining diverse physicians because research has shown this improves outcomes for patients.

She was likely referring to a US-wide study published by (The Journal of the American Medical Association‘s) JAMA Network Open in 2023. This found that, in counties with a greater share of Black primary care physicians, Black people have a higher life expectancy - and there is less disparity between White and Black mortality rates. This even holds among Black members of the community who didn’t visit a Black doctor - with the study’s authors stressing the findings were a case of correlation, but not necessarily of causation.

However, they also said that one key lesson was that diversity within the physician workforce is “in everyone's best interest.”

What’s your response to that @elonmusk?

video credit: Don Lemon https://youtu.be/hhsfjBpKiTw?si=RhWKPvsOZQGLYVd4 

and Dr. Ruthie https://www.instagram.com/reel/DFGMfsdvTyq/?igsh=MTljbjZoem1leWhoYw== 

Sources

https://www.statnews.com/2023/04/14/black-doctors-primary-care-life-expectancy-mortality/ 

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/study-finds-black-people-live-longer-in-places-with-more-black-doctors