On June 29, 2023, the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) issued its ruling in two much-anticipated race-conscious admission cases at Harvard University and the University of North Carolina. Given our mission to prevent and treat patients with gynecologic cancer with equity, thereby improving lives, the Society of Gynecologic Oncology (SGO) and Foundation for Women’s Cancers (FWC) awaited the outcome of this decision. By a vote of 6-3, the justices ruled that the consideration of race among factors used to admit students to colleges and universities is unlawful. The long-term impact of this decision and effect on our mission to provide excellent patient care and promote the pipeline of a diverse and inclusive work force are unknown.
A unifying core value for SGO and FWC is to promote diversity and inclusion. The members of the SGO/FWC reaffirm the value that diverse learning environments are essential to our mission of the eradication of gynecologic malignancies. Diversity enables our members to solve complex medical problems, drive innovative and translational scientific investigation, sharpen critical thinking skills, deconstruct stereotypes, and reduce bias. Furthermore, diversity helps to create an interprofessional workforce better prepared to address health inequities and disparities.
During this period and beyond, the SGO/FWC will continue to work tirelessly to seek health equity for the individuals we serve and create programming that affirms the value of diversity and inclusion. We remain firmly committed to our patient-centric missions, visions and values and will continue to advocate for the gynecologic cancer community.
*Reference the November 2022 SGO statement regarding holistic, race-conscious admissions processes.