The nation’s top medical school accreditor has updated its standards, removing language related to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) requirements without issuing a formal public announcement.
The Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME), which accredits medical schools across the United States, recently uploaded its updated 2027–2028 standards to its website. The changes were first flagged by the Wall Street Journal.
Among the most notable revisions is the overhaul of Standard 7.6, which in the 2026–2027 guidelines required that “the medical curriculum provides opportunities for medical students to learn to recognize and appropriately address biases in themselves, in others, and in the health care delivery process.”
The prior standard went further, mandating that medical students be taught about “the importance of health care disparities and health inequities,” the “impact of disparities in health care on all populations,” and “approaches to reduce health care inequities.” It also required instruction in “culturally and structurally competent health care” and emphasized training to treat patients in a “multidimensional and diverse society.”
In the newly published standards, that language has been removed entirely. The updated version of Standard 7.6 contains no reference to diversity, bias, disparities, or inequities.
More broadly, much of Standard 7 was rewritten and reorganized, with all references to bias and inequities stripped from the section. The 2027–2028 standards document is dated March 13 and indicates the changes were made in March 2026, though the LCME has not publicly announced the revisions. The prior 2026–2027 standards, which include the original language, remain available on the organization’s website.
The rollback follows years of scrutiny from the medical watchdog group Do No Harm, which has criticized the role of DEI requirements in medical education. In 2023, the group called for an investigation into the LCME, and in March 2025 released a report highlighting accreditation standards, including Sections 3.3 and 7.6, that it said promoted ideological priorities over merit-based training.
The changes come after President Donald Trump signed an executive order aimed at reforming higher education accreditation, specifically naming the LCME and raising concerns about politicized standards. Shortly afterward, in May 2025, the LCME removed Standard 3.3, which had required medical schools to maintain programs or partnerships focused on achieving diversity. At the time, however, Standard 7.6 remained in place.
The latest revisions appear to further that shift. “Do No Harm commends the LCME for finally removing the remaining DEI language from the latest version of its standards,” said Dr. Kurt Miceli, the organization’s chief medical officer, in a statement obtained by The Daily Wire. “This reflects a renewed commitment to high-quality clinical care over political ideology.”
“As a powerful institution with significant influence over medical education, the LCME has now made clear that scientific rigor and excellence are the top priorities — a change we have been advocating for years,” Miceli added. “This marks a major victory and step forward in the ongoing battle over the future of medical education in America.”
The LCME did not publicly comment on the changes or issue a press release announcing the updated standards. Critics say the changes reflect how rapidly the standards governing medicine and education are shifting amid political and regulatory pressure. And given the LCME’s outsized role in determining whether medical schools remain accredited, even subtle changes to its requirements can have sweeping effects on how future physicians are trained.
With the removal of this language from both admissions-related and curriculum standards, the updated guidelines reflect a significant change in how the LCME frames its accreditation requirements. Supporters of the move say it refocuses medical education on clinical training, while critics have argued that such standards are important for addressing disparities in patient care.
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