Applicants for a job as an oncological surgeon at the University of California Davis are now required to pledge their allegiance to the ideology of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. 

According to a job listing on the university's website, successful applicants must have an experienced background in surgical oncology and caring for patients:

The selected candidate will work within the Division of Surgical Oncology and broadly within the UC Davis NCI-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center. The emphasis of this recruitment is for a breast surgical oncologist who specializes in all areas of breast surgical care. The successful candidate will have substantial opportunities for interdisciplinary collaboration and will be expected to leverage the strengths of the UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center in translational research, including the development and implementation of clinical trials. Based on clinical and leadership experience, candidates may be considered for leadership opportunities and lead the expansion of our existing breast cancer program.

The candidate will be expected to participate in clinical care, teaching, research, and university service depending on academic series. Expectations of the Clinical X and In-Residence series are to engage in teaching, research, service, and clinical work. Expectations of the Health Science Clinical Professor series are to engage in clinical work, teaching and to support the department's research mission.

Despite the importance of this role in treating patients with life-threatening illnesses, candidates are still required to pledge their allegiance to DEI by submitting a "statement" outlining their commitment to this left-wing ideology.

The university's website states:

In evaluating Statements of Contributions to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, search committees often consider the applicant’s:

• Awareness of inequities and challenges faced by underrepresented minority students and faculty;
• Track record (commensurate to career stage) of activities that reduce barriers in education or research for underrepresented minority students and faculty;
• Vision and plans for how their work will continue to contribute to UC Davis’ mission to serve the needs of our diverse state and student population and create an inclusive campus

Through your own Statements of Contributions to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion you can tell us how your past, present, and future activities have or will contribute to UC Davis’ mission of promoting equity and inclusion or have shaped your perspective on this issue.

According to The College Fix, which first reported the scandal, such policies not only risk the quality of applicants to this role but also may run afoul of the First Amendment. 

“It is already a mistake and likely First Amendment violation for UC Davis to have mandatory diversity statements for faculty and staff applicants,” Adam Kissel, a senior fellow at the Cardinal Institute, told the publication. “It’s even more of a mistake to hire a worse surgeon over a better one because of what’s in a diversity statement.”

“Patients are being harmed by scaring them into thinking that there is systemic racism in healthcare,” Kissel said. “This mistaken ideology leads some patients to avoid needed care. DEI in medicine probably costs many black lives.”

Back in February, conservative commentator Ben Shapiro exposed the horrifying reality of DEI practices across medicine and healthcare. According to Shapiro, DEI in medicine involves providing protections to some doctors who injure patients, abandoning key metrics while hiring surgeons, and disregarding research carried out by white academics.