DEI Was Never the Problem, The Way Pharma Did It Was
By Denise Bronner, Ph.D., founder, Empactful Ventures
In 2020, pharma, like many industries, made bold commitments to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). Companies hired chief diversity officers, launched inclusive trial initiatives, invested millions into campaigns/nonprofits, and promised to confront systemic inequities in healthcare and hiring. But only a few years later, the energy has died. Not because DEI isn’t needed but because it was never meaningfully embedded in the business fabric of the industry.
The Initial Push: A Moral Imperative, Not A Business Strategy
The wave of DEI pledges that followed 2020 were largely framed around justice and morality. It was the “right thing to do.” But without a direct tie to business objectives such as patient recruitment, innovation in R&D, market expansion, or workforce retention, DEI quickly became vulnerable to shifting priorities. When economic pressures arose or leadership changed (as we are seeing now), DEI was one of the first things to go.
DEI Fatigue: Burnout, Backlash, And Budget Cuts
Many DEI efforts were built on fragile foundations. Internally, the work often existed as a side project where extra work was tacked onto someone’s full-time responsibilities. Even when dedicated roles were created, teams were typically small (one to three people), yet they were expected to develop multi-therapeutic area strategies across global markets within little to no budget. This imbalance led to burnout and lack of career growth because this extra work was not tied to yearly goals and bonuses. Add increasing political polarization and executive scrutiny, and what started as a movement became a liability in the eyes of some leaders. Fatigue set in not just among teams but across entire organizations.
The Narrowing Of DEI: Race And Ethnicity As The Only Focus
While the emphasis on race and ethnicity was essential, it became the dominant – sometimes only – lens through which DEI was viewed. Other populations were often ignored:
- People with disabilities, navigating inaccessible systems and unrepresented in data
- LGBTQ+ individuals, lacking visibility in trials, policies, and pipelines
- Rural and remote populations, excluded from site access and digital health innovation
- Socioeconomically marginalized groups consistently underrepresented and underserved
- Age diversity, both in trial eligibility and workplace inclusion
Even regulatory guidance reflected this limited scope. When the FDA first released the Diversity Action Plan (DAP) framework, it focused solely on race and ethnicity. Only in the most recent iteration before it was removed in Q1, did the agency expand its language to include broader DEI dimensions. By then, many organizations had already aligned their efforts to the original narrow framing.
The Current Reality: A Quiet Unraveling
We’re now witnessing a strategic rollback1,2,3,4. DEI departments are being dismantled, enterprise initiatives are being dissolved, and budgets are reabsorbed. Vendors, especially those focused on inclusive trial recruitment, supplier diversity, or internal equity programs, are being dropped or shuttered.
What’s different now is the scrutiny. Sponsors are pressure-testing vendors in ways they never did before. They’re asking for ROI, impact metrics, and proof that offerings tie directly to business goals. And in many cases, those metrics weren’t developed because they weren’t previously required. As a result, value is being questioned, and DEI is being repositioned as optional.
What We’re Risking
Pharma risks more than bad optics. It risks losing its edge because:
- Diverse teams solve harder problems faster.
- Inclusive trials yield better, more generalizable data.
- Equity-driven outreach opens new markets and drives trust.
- Authentic community engagement builds lasting brand loyalty.
- Abandoning DEI isn’t just a moral failure — it’s a strategic misstep.
What Comes Next: Rebuilding With Intention
If DEI is to survive this reset, it must evolve. It needs to be reframed from being viewed as a charity to being seen as a critical growth driver. Pharma must ask:
- How does DEI help us design better products?
- How do we reach more patients and the RIGHT patients?
- How do we remain competitive as society evolves?
- What metrics will we use to measure its impact?
- And, most importantly, who is accountable, not just for programs but for outcomes?
The era of surface-level pledges is over. DEI can no longer be a side initiative.
It must become a core business strategy or risk being remembered as a missed opportunity that sets the industry and society back decades.
References:
- Bristol Myers Squibb Removes DEI Pledges From Latest Annual Report - Bloomberg
- Drugmaker Roche’s US Biotech Unit Pulls DEI Targets From Website - SWI swissinfo.ch
- Pfizer resolves conservative challenge to diversity fellowship program - Do No Harm
- Pfizer revises its DEI webpage to emphasize importance of ‘merit’
About The Author:
Denise N Bronner, Ph.D., has roughly 15 years of organizational thought leadership experience within the global healthcare space and has held various roles in academia, consulting, pharma, and venture capital. During her career, she has specialized in health equity, data-driven global therapy program strategy development, pitch and storytelling refinement, and identifying business opportunities within pharma. Beyond her professional endeavors, she's passionate about enhancing diversity in STEM fields, serving on advisory boards, participating as a judge in pitch/business competitions, and mentoring young professionals. She holds a bachelor’s degree in biological sciences from Wayne State University, a Ph.D. in microbiology & immunology from the University of Michigan - Ann Arbor, and certification from the Venture Capital Executive Program from UC Berkeley Haas School of Business. She is the founder of Empactful Ventures, which currently consults healthcare-focused startups and venture funds, and she is a member of the Clinical Leader editorial board.