The second day of the conference began with one very difficult conversation prior to scheduled visits on Capitol Hill. Based on his support of ACEP and his lead role on several issues, including due process for emergency physicians, reform of the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule, and fair implementation of the No Surprises Act, ACEP had extended an invitation to Rep. Greg Murphy, MD (R-NC) to speak at the conference. While at the time of the invitation there was broad agreement on Rep. Murphy’s participation, the situation became complicated when Rep. Murphy introduced the Embracing anti-Discrimination, Unbiased Curricula, and Advancing Truth in Education (EDUCATE) Act to ban race-based mandates at medical schools and accrediting institutions. The EDUCATE Act would cut off federal funding to medical schools that force students or faculty to adopt specific beliefs, discriminate based on race or ethnicity, or have diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) offices or any functional equivalent. The bill would also require accreditation agencies to check that their standards do not promote these practices, while still allowing instruction about health issues tied to race or collecting data for research.

The introduction of the EDUCATE Act was met with clear and strong opposition by ACEP members, the College itself, and others within the House of Medicine. ACEP took the opportunity to publicly stand by our existing policy statement, “Workforce Diversity in Health Care Settings,” which was reaffirmed by the Board of Directors in June 2023.

ACEP President Aisha Terry, MD, FACEP, honored several lawmakers who have sponsored EM-friendly legislation.

ACEP heard from many members regarding Rep. Murphy’s invitation to speak at LAC; these included calls to uninvite him and discussions about a coordinated walkout by attendees. Led by ACEP President Aisha Terry, MD, MPH, FACEP, the College had multiple conversations with many members and listened to their concerns and thoughts. Rather than uninvite Rep. Murphy, ACEP took the approach of allowing Rep. Murphy to attend so that members could exchange our thoughts and perspectives with him. Dr. Terry led a professional and graceful discussion with Rep. Murphy. During the conversation, Rep. Murphy shared his perspectives on DEI initiatives within health care professional training; they are clearly not aligned with the College’s policy. Therefore, Dr. Terry educated Rep. Murphy about the numerous scientific studies that have demonstrated the value of having a diverse workforce and closed the session by sharing her personal perspective of having grown up, and still having family, in the very district Rep. Murphy represents.