When you were applying to medical school, how did you decide which programs to consider? After filtering by stats and geography, you likely browsed school websites. Which ones stood out to you? Did any reflect your identity, align with your values, or feel like a place where you’d truly belong?

Mission statements, particularly those focused on diversity, are often the first indication to applicants that a school values them not just for their grades, but for who they are and the perspectives they bring. In a health care system marked by deep disparities, building a physician workforce that reflects the communities it serves is critical. Research shows that patients have better outcomes and greater trust when cared for by providers who share their cultural background or speak their language. Without that diversity, disparities widen and preventable harm increases, especially in marginalized populations.

As federal regulations dismantle diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts, the landscape of higher education has shifted dramatically, and medical education has not been spared. Sweeping policies have shuttered DEI offices, banned diversity training, and led to the quiet removal of DEI content from medical school websites, erasing once-visible commitments to equity and inclusion.

We conducted a national review of all 199 accredited U.S. medical schools to assess the presence of DEI language in institutional mission statements. In May 2024, 193 schools (97 percent) mentioned diversity in either a dedicated diversity mission statement or woven into their general mission statement. When we repeated this review in June 2025, our analysis revealed a striking decline in public commitment to DEI, with only 139 schools (70 percent) mentioning diversity. The change reflects the broader national shift, coinciding with intensified political efforts to dismantle DEI initiatives across public institutions.

Why do DEI mission statements matter? These statements are often the first and only signals students see that they will be welcomed, valued, and supported. For students living with disabilities, who make up 28 percent of the U.S. adult population but only 7.6 percent of medical students, or for Hispanic and Latinx students, who represent 20 percent of the U.S. population but only 12.7 percent of medical school matriculants, inclusive language on a school’s website can be pivotal. When students from these communities see themselves reflected in a school’s mission, it signals they belong. When that language vanishes, applicants from marginalized groups may interpret it not just as omission, but as rejection.

The physician pipeline already reflects deep inequities rooted in systemic racism and economic disparity. As medical schools are forced to scale back DEI-related programming and abandon inclusive mission statements, public health as a whole suffers. Without deliberate efforts to recruit students from underrepresented backgrounds, medical schools risk falling back into a status quo that has long excluded a staggering percentage of the population.

Of course, a mission statement alone isn’t enough. A webpage won’t erase systemic barriers or reshape admissions processes. But they are a public commitment, and in today’s climate, reaffirming that commitment is an act of courage.

Medical schools must not allow shifting political agendas to dictate who belongs in medicine. Instead, they must reaffirm their responsibility to train a physician workforce that reflects and advocates for the communities it serves. That means ensuring DEI commitments remain visible, and that they’re backed by action: inclusive curricula, holistic admissions, and accessible accommodations.

Many institutions are already adapting. Instead of backing down, they’re rebranding by focusing on community and wellness to ensure all students feel supported and can thrive. As policymakers roll back equity initiatives, the medical community must do the opposite: Speak up, recommit, and rebuild. Because while politics may change, the need for a diverse and inclusive health care system does not.

At a time when DEI language is disappearing from websites, we must ask: Are we doing enough to show prospective students that they belong? Are we ensuring the doors to medicine remain open to all, not just in theory but in practice?

Mission statements may seem small. But the values they express, or fail to express, can shape the future of medicine. Let’s ensure a future reflective of us all, where every aspiring physician sees medicine as a place they truly belong.

Laura Malmut is a physical medicine and rehabilitation physician. Aditi Mahajan is a medical student. Jared Stowers is a current sports medicine fellow. Khaleel Atkinson is a medical student.