The work of several Black doctors who established multiple scholarships for Black medical students at the University of Cincinnati has come to a halt because of President Donald Trump’s policies, according to a Washington Post report.
Clyde Henderson is a retired orthopedic surgeon in Cincinnati who spoke with the outlet about the problem.
“This is just a setback, and it’s going to take a concerted effort to reverse it,” Henderson said. “But we can’t just give up, we don’t have that choice.”
He added, “Disparities exist at nearly every part of the health care system, and the data shows that Black folks do better when they’re taken care of by folks who look like us, so it would be immoral for us not to address the shortage.”
According to the Post, the disparity in Cincinnati is stark. A 2020 report from the Doctors Foundation found there are fewer than 100 Black or Latino doctors in the region.
“That amounts to less than 5 percent of the physicians in the region,” the Post reported. However, Black residents make up 40 percent of Cincinnati’s population. Latinos make up just 5 percent of residents.
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Lawyers from the University of Cincinnati have been raising questions about how scholarships for Black students were being administered before Trump’s policies were put in place. They have also suggested that they should be open to more than just Black students.
This especially became the case when Ohio’s Republican Gov. Mike DeWine signed an overhaul of the state’s higher education system.
The legislation banned diversity, equity and inclusion training and called for the end of race-based scholarships.
The Post reports, “The University is also one of 45 colleges under investigation by the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights for its DEI policies.”
Doctors like Henderson are now rushing to protect their endowments. They are also left hoping the political environment will change or the college will back their efforts.
The University of Cincinnati didn’t return the Post's “repeated calls and emails for comment.”
