When the Trump Administration accused Duke University of racist practices and threatened to pull federal funding this week, no specific allegations were made public.
Federal officials said only that “allegations have been brought” to their attention that, if credible, could “render Duke Health unfit for any further financial relationship with the federal government.”
But a federal complaint against the elite university from a nonprofit opposing diversity programs in medicine makes much more specific allegations.
Do No Harm, a group that claims to “safeguard healthcare from ideological threats,” filed a complaint against Duke Medical in March urging federal officials to open a civil rights investigation against the university.
The complaint lists Duke policies and programs that the group believes violate the Civil Rights Act. Those include initiatives that expanded the medical school’s minority enrollment and the school’s “Minority Recruitment and Retention Committee.”
When asked whether the federal regulators’ investigation into Duke was spurred by Do No Harm’s complaint, DHHS Press Secretary Vianca N. Rodriguez Feliciano told The News & Observer the agency does not comment on active investigations.
When the N&O asked whether the university knew about the earlier complaint — and if it was a catalyst for the federal investigation — a Duke Health spokesperson said they would look into it and give an update once they “have something to share.”
Do No Harm did not return the N&O’s questions about its complaint.
But it’s not the first time the group has taken action against entities that go against its mission. The group sued the University of California at Los Angeles’ medical school along with the Society of Military Orthopedic Surgeons for similar diversity initiatives.