Charlotte Med School Diversity Data Still Missing As Ecu Releases Stats

By Michelle Crouch

Mecklenburg County commissioners chair Mark Jerrell said he is assured that Atrium Health will stock information pinch him connected nan group and taste constitution of nan first people connected nan Wake Forest University School of Medicine’s Charlotte field — but he doesn’t person nan numbers yet and doesn’t cognize if they will beryllium made public.

When infirmary leaders announced nan caller schoolhouse successful 2021, they said they wanted nan people to beryllium “one of nan astir divers learner bodies successful nan country.” But arsenic The Charlotte Ledger/NC Health News antecedently reported, nan city’s first four-year aesculapian schoolhouse has truthful acold declined to merchandise nan data, contempt a petition from Jerrell.

Jerrell, who was quoted saying he would person a problem if Atrium withheld nan data, said he subsequently had a agelong speech pinch a apical Atrium Health executive. 

“They wanted to make judge that I sewage their perspective,” Jerrell said astir his speech pinch nan Atrium executive, whom he did not name. “And I’m not speaking for Atrium, but it is very reasonable successful my mind that if you put retired that information successful this governmental climate, to beryllium concerned that nan management will situation that.”

Over nan past year, institutions nationwide person faced nationalist backlash related to their diverseness efforts amid heightened nationalist scrutiny and nan U.S. Supreme Court’s 2023 determination banning race-conscious admissions. The number of aesculapian students from underrepresented groups has dropped significantly, moreover arsenic immoderate data show amended outcomes successful underrepresented diligent populations erstwhile their physicians travel from a akin background.

Atrium Health did not respond to a petition Tuesday asking astir nan taste and group backgrounds of its first class. Previously, nan infirmary shared only geographic information erstwhile asked for demographic details.

Transparency astatine ECU

The Brody School of Medicine astatine East Carolina University recently updated a matriculants dashboard that includes demographic information astir its first-year class, a spokesperson said.

The dashboard shows that 10 percent of its incoming people of 91 students self-reported arsenic Black aliases African American, and 7 percent self-reported arsenic Hispanic. All of nan incoming students are residents of North Carolina, and 7 are first-generation assemblage students.

In 2024, ECU boasted 1 of nan highest rates of Black aesculapian students among non-HBCU schools, according to a U.S. News & World Report analysis. 

Alan Wolf, a spokesperson for nan UNC School of Medicine, antecedently said that nan schoolhouse would merchandise nan taste and group information of its first-year people erstwhile they matriculated. On Tuesday, he said nan accusation would not beryllium disposable until September because nan aesculapian schoolhouse relies connected nan main field census, which includes undergraduates, for its demographics. 

Diversity stats disappear

The Duke University School of Medicine besides did not supply information successful clip for publication. “We’ll spot what we tin do,” a spokeswoman wrote successful an email. 

A 2025 people floor plan page lists only nan number of applicants, interviewees and matriculants. An archived type of nan page from November 2024 shows it included nan percent of students from backgrounds underrepresented successful medicine.  

The Wake Forest School of Medicine besides antecedently included that class connected its people floor plan page, according to an archived type of nan site. It has since been removed. 

A look astatine respective aesculapian schoolhouse websites nationwide shows that galore person yet to station 2025 people demographics. The aesculapian schools astatine Harvard and Johns Hopkins still database nan percent of incoming students from backgrounds underrepresented successful medicine connected their 2024 people floor plan sites. Other schools, specified arsenic Emory and nan Medical University of South Carolina, don’t see that data.

Other Charlotte elected officials expect to spot data

The caller field of nan Wake Forest University School of Medicine is Charlotte’s first four-year aesculapian school. Operated by Atrium Health successful business pinch Wake Forest, it opened successful July pinch an inaugural people of 49 students. 

In 2021, metropolis and region leaders successful Charlotte approved $75 cardinal successful nationalist backing for nan $1.5 cardinal medical invention district wherever nan aesculapian schoolhouse is located. 

In summation to Jarrell, 3 different region commissioners — Arthur Griffin, Laura Meier and George Dunlap — told nan Ledger/NC Health News they expect Atrium to merchandise information astir nan school’s demographics, particularly fixed nan nationalist investment. 

Jerrell said he planned to inquire Atrium astir nan information again this week. He said he didn’t cognize if Atrium would stock nan information publicly: “That’s a bully question. That will beryllium measurement 2 that I person to solve. I cognize we’ll person conversations astir nan nationalist being capable to person that information.”

At a Charlotte-Mecklenburg Hospital Authority committee gathering connected Tuesday, Atrium Health reported $6.9 cardinal successful nett operating gross for nan first half of 2025. Its nett income for nan play — which immoderate would telephone profit — was $426 million.  

(The infirmary authority operates arsenic Atrium Health, which is nan section of Advocate Health that does business successful nan Carolinas, Georgia and Alabama.)

Felicia Hall Allen, 1 of 2 infirmary authority committee members who voted against a caller alteration that scrubbed DEI connection from nan board’s bylaws, told nan Ledger/NC Health News connected Monday that she didn’t person immoderate accusation astir whether Atrium would merchandise further demographic data.

She said Advocate Health CEO Gene Woods has honored his commitments successful nan past.

“What I will show you is that I spot that Gene Woods stands by his words,” she said. “I person ne'er known him not to, and truthful I spot his intentions, and he ever does nan correct thing.” 

This article is portion of a business betwixt The Charlotte Ledger and North Carolina Health News to nutrient original wellness attraction reporting. 

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