During the AMA’s Annual Meeting earlier this month, the House of Delegates announced that they formally oppose, rather than just discourage, the use of legacy preference in medical school admissions. Specifically, the AMA objects to the inclusion of “formal and specific legacy questions” in the application, which can serve as a screening mechanism and discriminate against applicants from historically underrepresented groups.
In the discussion prior to the resolution’s passage, Anna Yap, MD and Delegate for the Section Council on Preventive Medicine and the Resident Fellows Section, said, "We should remove this question that can be used as a filter that further cements structural racism."
A delegate for the Women’s Physician Section, Nicole Plenty, MD, pointed out that the inclusion of a legacy section on the application may discourage underrepresented students from even applying. This section can highlight for some students, particularly among those from historically underrepresented backgrounds, a lack of connection to the school in comparison to other prospective applicants.
A full summary of the AMA’s policy adoptions and updates is available here.