title: A measurement perspective on affirmative action in U.S. medical education.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The U.S. Supreme Court has recently heard another affirmative action case, and similar programs to promote equitable representation in higher education are being debated and enacted around the world. Understanding the empirical and quantitative research conducted over the last 50 years is important in designing effective and fair initiatives related to affirmative action in medical education. Unfortunately, the quantitative measurement research relevant to affirmative action is poorly documented in the scholarly journals that serve medical education.
  
  
  METHODS
  This research organizes and documents the measurement literature relevant to enacting affirmative action within the medical school environment, and should be valuable for informing future actions. It provides summaries of those areas where the research evidence is strong and highlights areas where more research evidence is needed. To structure the presentation, 10 topic areas are identified in the form of research questions.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Measurement evidence related to these questions is reviewed and summarized to provide evidence-based answers.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These answers should provide a useful foundation for making important decisions regarding the use of racial diversity initiatives in medical education.
authors.affiliation: Department of Family Medicine, The University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine, Iowa City, IA 52242-1000, USA. clarence-kreiter@uiowa.edu
authors.forename: Clarence D
authors.initials: CD
authors.lastname: Kreiter
mesh_terms: D003099:College Admission Test; D004501:Education, Medical / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000458:organization & administration* / Q000592:standards; D006801:Humans; D044469:Racial Groups; D014481:United States
keywords: admission; affirmative action; bias; medical education; selection