To the editor: It is with disappointment, but not surprise, that I read the recent article highlighting the administration’s attack on admission practices of medical schools (“Trump DOJ investigating possible race discrimination at UC San Diego, Stanford medical schools,” March 26). The administration seems to focus on MCAT test score discrepancies between certain racial groups and the relationship between medical schools and “ethnic or race-related medical student organizations.”
As a family medicine doctor and someone who has been involved in medical education during the entirety of my more than 20-year career, I can confidently say that the four-point difference in average MCAT score is completely insignificant. I can also tell you confidently that the MCAT is of minimal relevance in determining what makes a good doctor, which is why holistic review is critical to get the types of doctors we need and deserve.
With regard to “ethnic or race-related medical student organizations,” as a Japanese American medical student, I participated in both the Student National Medical Assn. and the Latino Medical Student Assn. and I was warmly welcomed and participated fully. These organizations are not about racial exclusion. Rather, they bring together people who are driven by caring for all people with a particular focus on the most under-resourced communities.
Chris Hiromura, Los Angeles