VUMC has officially ended all of its diversity, equity and inclusion programs, a VUMC representative told The Hustler. The statement comes after Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R–TN) sent a letter to VUMC President and CEO Jeff Balser on April 15 expressing concern over reports of VUMC concealing its diversity, equity and inclusion programs. 

In February, VUMC began the process of removing all references to DEI from its websites and social media to “comply with federal executive orders.” VUMC declined to specify when the elimination went into effect and whether VUMC leadership has attempted to push back on these orders.

“VUMC is eliminating all DEI programs and is fully complying with executive actions on DEI. Shortly after the executive orders were issued, VUMC began removing related content on internal and external websites to reflect the termination of these programs,” a VUMC representative said in an email to The Hustler. “VUMC will continue to comply with federal mandates and directives.”

However, The Hustler’s fact-checking suggested that this response was preemptive in nature. Some medical centers and associated medical schools, including Duke Health and Emory Healthcare, have maintained their DEI content as of publication. Others, like Tulane Medical Center and the University of Miami Health System, have taken similar actions to VUMC. 

Blackburn’s letter acknowledged VUMC’s efforts to scrub its digital DEI content but called attention to certain DEI-related pages that remained active at the time of her writing, including sites for the Office for Diversity Affairs, Office of Diversity and Inclusion and Office of Health Equity. The former two have been disbanded; the latter is now a page for VUMC Community Health.

“As a beneficiary of federal funding, VUMC has a responsibility to align with the president’s executive orders and return to a focus on lifesaving research as opposed to woke DEI initiatives,” Blackburn’s letter reads. “Instead of covering up VUMC’s DEI initiatives, I urge you to comply with President Trump’s effort to responsibly allocate taxpayer dollars and immediately cease all DEI initiatives.”

A student employee of VUMC, who spoke on the condition of anonymity for protection from professional retribution, criticized VUMC’s response.

“I have seen [VUMC’s decision] affect both my research lab and the labs around me, with funding being cut, names being changed and research being switched to comply with the new policies,” they said. “It makes it very hard to carry out such important research. If I were VUMC, I would have done what Harvard did and refused to eliminate DEI.”