Med school has students pledge to fight 'gender binary' and 'colonialism,' honor 'Indigenous' healing
MINNEAPOLIS (TND) — University of Minnesota medical students who are part of the Class of 2026 were given a pledge to swear by during a "White Coat Ceremony" back in August.
The pledge included a land acknowledgment honoring the area's indigenous population, as well as references to disrupting white supremacy, colonialism and gender norms.
The pledge also said the students would commit to "healing our planet," and that they would honor "all Indigenous ways of healing that have been historically marginalized by Western medicine."
We commit to uprooting the legacy and perpetuation of structural violence deeply embedded within the healthcare system," the pledge, written out on a handout given to students during the event, reads. "We recognize inequities built by past and present traumas rooted in white supremacy, colonialism, the gender binary, ableism, and all forms of oppression."
The pledge from the handout went on to say the medical students will commit to "promoting a culture of anti-racism."
Knowing that health is intimately connected to our environment, we commit to healing our planet and communities," the pledge also stated in reference to climate change.
The media relations officer at the University of Minnesota's medical school, Kat Dodge, told The National Desk (TND) that it is "common practice" across medical schools in the U.S. to "build upon the intent of the Hippocratic Oath to promote humility, integrity, and beneficence."
"Each year at the University of Minnesota Medical School, the incoming students work with faculty to write an oath that reflects these core elements, values, and ethics the class aspires to uphold," Dodge went on to explain. "The mission of the U of M Medical School is to train future leaders who will care for the health of all Minnesotans while addressing education, equitable and inclusive health care delivery, and innovation in medicine and science."
