Anti-DEI group targets Geisinger College of Health Sciences over program
SCRANTON — A national anti-DEI group has targeted the Geisinger College of Health Sciences with recent filings of discrimination complaints.
Virginia-based Do No Harm purported in news releases in March and June that it filed separate complaints with two federal agencies against the college, citing as discriminatory its federally funded Center of Excellence for Diversity and Inclusion and a summer program that aimed to help students from Black, Hispanic or Native American communities that are underrepresented in the medical field transition into medical school.
The Do No Harm discrimination complaints come amid President Donald Trump's efforts to dismantle DEI, or diversity, equity and inclusion, programs in the public and private sectors. Trump issued executive orders in the first week of his second term targeting DEI initiatives.
'Geisinger College of Health Sciences did a thorough review of our programs after the presidential executive orders were issued to ensure compliance. The pre-matriculation program referenced in the (Do No Harm) complaint ended in 2024 and is no longer active,' Geisinger CHS said in a statement.
Do No Harm is labeled by the Southern Poverty Law Center as an 'anti-LGBTQ+ hate group.' Critics of the SPLC say it's politically biased and its definition of hate group is overly broad.
Do No Harm first filed a complaint with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services on March 19 against Geisinger CHS, according to a news release posted on the Do No Harm website. A member of Do No Harm then filed a similar complaint June 5 with the U.S. Department of Education, because Geisinger 'did not learn its lesson' from the initial complaint filed with HHS, the advocacy organization announced in another news release.
The Times-Tribune could not verify that the complaints were filed with both departments, and whether either agency investigated the allegations or took any actions. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the U.S. Department of Education through separate representatives said they do not confirm the existence of complaints.
Do No Harm, established in April 2022, claims it has 17,000 members, including doctors, nurses, physicians and concerned citizens, and cites its mission as safeguarding health care from ideological threats.
'Do No Harm seeks to highlight and counteract divisive trends in medicine, such as 'Diversity, Equity and Inclusion' and youth-focused gender ideology,' the organization's website says.
According to the SPLC, Do No Harm in 2024 filed eight lawsuits challenging programs such as scholarships and fellowships for marginalized people.
'The group claims that the practice of nonprofit organizations like the American Association of University Women to provide fellowships to students of color and LGBTQ+ students — groups historically underrepresented in academia and medicine — harms patients by requiring medical schools to accept or fund unqualified candidates. According to the group, the case was dismissed 'after AAUW agreed to drop the racial criteria in the fellowship's selection process,'' the SPLC website says.
According to the website of Geisinger College of Health Sciences, it is the research and education arm of the Geisinger health system. Established in 2022, the college unifies the Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine, Geisinger School of Nursing, Geisinger School of Graduate Education, graduate medical education, Center for Faculty and Professional Development and more.
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Geisinger College of Medicine in Scranton on Monday, June 9, 2025. (REBECCA PARTICKA/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
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Geisinger College of Medicine in Scranton on Monday, June 9, 2025. (REBECCA PARTICKA/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
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Geisinger College of Medicine in Scranton on Monday, June 9, 2025. (REBECCA PARTICKA/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
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Geisinger College of Medicine in Scranton on Monday, June 9, 2025. (REBECCA PARTICKA/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
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Novo Nordisk employs about 77,400 people in 80 countries and markets its products in around 170 countries. For more information, visit , Facebook , Instagram , X , LinkedIn and YouTube . Contacts for further information _______________________ References Oldenberg J, Benson G, Chowdaryet P, et al. FRONTIER5 direct switch study: Safety of initiating Mim8 prophylaxis without washout of emicizumab. Oral presentation presented at the Congress of the International Society on Thrombosis and Haemostasis 2025; June 21-25 2025; Walter E. Washington Convention Center, Washington D.C., US. Session code 13686. Mahlangu J, Ahuja S, Cockrell E, et al. FRONTIER5 device handling and patient-reported outcomes. Oral presentation presented at the Congress of the International Society on Thrombosis and Haemostasis 2025; June 21–25 2025; Walter E. Washington Convention Center, Washington D.C., US. Session code 13786. A Research Study Looking at How Safe it is to Switch From Emicizumab to Mim8 in People With Haemophilia A (FRONTIER5). Available at: Last accessed: June 2025. MedlinePlus. Hemophilia. Available at: Last accessed: June 2025. Iorio A, Stonebraker JS, Chambost H, et al. Establishing the Prevalence and Prevalence at Birth of Hemophilia in Males: A Meta-analytic Approach Using National Registries. Ann Intern Med. 2019;171:540–546. doi: 10.7326/M19-1208. Kim JY, You CW. The prevalence and risk factors of inhibitor development of FVIII in previously treated patients with hemophilia A. Blood Res. 2019;54:204-209. doi: 10.5045/br.2019.54.3.204. Ostergaard H, Lund J, Greisen PJ, et al. A factor VIIIa-mimetic bispecific antibody, Mim8, ameliorates bleeding upon severe vascular challenge in hemophilia A mice. Blood. 2021;138:1258-1268. doi: 10.1182/blood.2020010331. Mancuso EM, et al. Efficacy and safety of Mim8 prophylaxis in adults and adolescents with hemophilia A with or without inhibitors: Phase 3, open-label, randomized, controlled FRONTIER2 study. Abstract presented at the International Society on Thrombosis and Haemostasis (ISTH) 2024 Congress. Kenet G, et al. Patient- and caregiver-reported outcomes with subcutaneous Mim8 prophylaxis in paediatric patients with haemophilia A with or without factor VIII inhibitors: phase 3 FRONTIER3 study. Abstract presented at the European Association for Haemophilia and Allied Disorders (EAHAD) 2025 Annual Congress. Session 6. Chowdary P, Banchev AM, Kavakli K, et al. Safety and Efficacy of Mim8 Prophylaxis Administered Once Every Two Weeks for Patients with Hemophilia A with or without Inhibitors: Interim Analysis of the FRONTIER4 Open-Label Extension Study. Abstract presented at the American Society of Hematology (ASH) 2024 Annual Congress. Session: 322. U.S. National Library of Medicine. F8 gene. MedlinePlus Genetics. Available at Last accessed: June 2025. A Research Study Investigating Mim8 in People With Haemophilia A (FRONTIER1). Available at: Last accessed: June 2025. A Research Study Investigating Mim8 in Adults and Adolescents With Haemophilia A With or Without Inhibitors. Available at: Last accessed: June 2025. A Research Study Looking at Mim8 in Children With Haemophilia A With or Without Inhibitors. Available at: Last accessed: June 2025. A Research Study Looking at Long-term Treatment With Mim8 in People With Haemophilia A (FRONTIER4). Available at: Last accessed: June 2025. Attachment Disclaimer: The above press release comes to you under an arrangement with GlobeNewswire. Business Upturn takes no editorial responsibility for the same. Ahmedabad Plane Crash GlobeNewswire provides press release distribution services globally, with substantial operations in North America and Europe.
