I will not be renewing my medical license in Massachusetts. Last month, I received an email from the state Board of Registration in Medicine informing me that to maintain my license, I must "complete a continuing medical education requirement" on "implicit bias in healthcare."
Massachusetts has long been a center of excellence in medicine, so it is particularly distressing to see politics intrude into this life-saving field. I cannot be party to the ideological corruption of my profession, which will injure physicians and patients alike.
My approach to medicine and life was shaped by two early influences: my father, who was also a physician, and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., whom I had the privilege to hear speak in person on several occasions.
Inspired by his words, I have always treated every patient — every person — with dignity and respect and judged them "not by the color of their skin but by the content of their character."
Virtually every physician I’ve ever known lives by the same values...
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