The Wall Street Journal editorial board backed a controversial commentary about taking politics out of medicine.
Stanley Goldfarb, MD, a professor and former associate dean of curriculum at the University of Pennsylvania's Perelman School of Medicine in Philadelphia, penned an essay for WSJ on the increasing focus on social issues in medical schools. Dr. Goldfarb believes lessons on learning to treat culturally diverse patients or understanding the effects of climate change on population health take away from studies on medical science.
His op-ed prompted an eruption of what WSJ calls "virtue signaling" on Twitter by left-leaning clinicians. Other professors from UPenn wrote a rebuttal for The Philadelphia Inquirer, suggesting the lack of social issues in traditional medical education created the current health problems our country faces. Current UPenn deans also wrote to students, distancing the school from Dr. Goldfarb's opinion.
"We are committed to ensuring a rigorous and comprehensive medical education that includes examination of the many social and cultural issues that influence health, from violence within communities to changes in the environment around us," the letter read, according to The Wall Street Journal.
Yet WSJ's editorial board sided with Dr. Goldfarb. "Thanks to Dr. Goldfarb for having the courage to call out the politicization of medical education that should worry all Americans," WSJ's editorial board wrote.
Read the full column here.
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