Medical school study documents the value of affirmative action

An article in today's (Sept. 10) CHE also alerted me to this study that just came out in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Saha, S., Guiton, G, Wimmers, P.F. and Wilkerson, L. (2008). Student body racial and ethnic composition and diversity-related outcomes in U.S. medical schools. JAMA, 300(10), 1135-1145.
The authors state in their abstract, " White students within the highest quintile for student body racial and ethnic diversity, measured by the proportion of underrepresented minority (URM) students, were more likely to rate themselves as highly prepared to care for minority populations than those in the lowest diversity quintile ... This association was strongest in schools in which students perceived a positive climate for interracial interaction. White students in the highest URM quintile were also more likely to have strong attitudes endorsing equitable access to care..."