Harvard scraps $650 transgender health course after questions over illegal fee waiver

Harvard Medical School (HMS) recently postponed a $650 million dollar continuing education course on transgender health care after inquiries about the legality of waiving fees for transgender-identifying doctors while charging other medical professionals full price.

The university had previously advertised that its accredited virtual course, titled “Advancing Excellence in Transgender Health” was available at no cost to “transgender” and “gender diverse” doctors wishing to enroll, according to The New York Post.

When National Review pressed Harvard about the practice, the school swiftly removed mention of the fee waivers from its website and announced the course had been “postponed.”

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“The continuing education course ‘Advancing Excellence in Transgender Health: A Core Course for the Whole Care Team,’ which is offered and developed by the Fenway Institute and accredited by Harvard Medical School, has been postponed and will be rescheduled for later this academic year,” Harvard said in a statement. 

”HMS remains committed to ensuring that the courses we accredit comply with applicable laws,” the statement continued.

The three-day postgraduate program, originally scheduled for Oct. 24-26, was designed for doctors, nurses, psychologists, pharmacists, and social workers. Developed by The Fenway Institute and taught for 11 years, the workshop aimed to educate medical staff on standard care for transgender and gender-diverse patients, including adults, adolescents, and children.

Before the postponement, all fee waivers had been awarded and a waitlist created for additional applicants, according to the National Review. The website also advertised ten full-tuition scholarships for “students pursuing a career in LGBTQIA+ health care,” which were also removed.

Legal experts disagreed on whether the fee waiver structure violated federal civil rights laws. Some argued that since access was based on gender identity rather than sex, it may not constitute illegal discrimination. Others suggested the practice could run afoul of anti-discrimination statutes.

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The controversy follows broader scrutiny of Harvard’s approach to identity-focused programming.

In March, two Harvard Medical School professors sued the Trump administration over removal of LGBT-related research from government websites. This moth, Harvard’s rebranded Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) office was revealed to have more funding than the three DEI centers it replaced, despite shifting to “community”-focused language.

Harvard’s reform came shortly after Do No Harm launched its new Medical School Excellence Index, ranking medical schools on academic rigor and avoidance of identity politics. The organization has previously challenged DEI practices in medical education.

Campus Reform has contacted Harvard Medical School for comment. This article will be updated accordingly.