Thread by @JMGrohNeuro

Been struggling to find the words re: @Vanderbilt’s mistreatment of @mclneuro. #MeTooStem THREAD. 1/

Gonna recap what y’all should have already read from the @science article by @meredithwadman and additional details from the petition (which you should read in its entirety). 2/ change.org/p/nicholas-s-z…

During her tenure process at @vanderbiltu, @mclneuro became a witness in the sexual harassment complaint against a member of her department. 3/

This wasn’t just any garden variety complaint (is that a thing anyway?). No. The faculty member in question had a gun and threatened to use it. 4/

.@mclneuro stood up anyway. Remember this when you read about her focus on SAFETY in STEM. 5/

You’d think @vanderbiltu would give her a medal for bravery right then and there. But no. 6/

Instead, @vanderbiltu halted her tenure process for over two years. 7/

Eventually, @vanderbiltu’s medical center Executive Committee of the Executive Faculty approved her tenure. Yay, right? 8/

But no: The Dean of the @vanderbiltu School of Medicine, Jeffrey Balser, then *asked the Committee to reconsider*. 9/

[I have no gif game. Anyone care to add any?] 10/

Who was on that committee, you might ask? @Vanderbiltu ’s chairman of Pharmacology, Dr David Sweatt. 11/

You may remember him from this pleasant little #MeTooStem story: 12/

the-scientist.com/news-opinion/v…

In short, someone who is now on leave after charges of sexual misconduct including *drugging* and *raping* a student was allowed to be in a position to determine the professional fate of the founder and most visible advocate for #MeTooStem. 13/

[Let’s not forget to mention that Sweatt wasn’t placed on leave until 11 months after @vanderbiltu learned of the allegations against him] 14/

Per petition: “Dr. Sweatt and other members acceded to the Dean's request and voted to deny Prof. McLaughlin's tenure. Prof McLaughlin’s other appointment is in Neurology and her chairman in that department trained with Dr. Sweatt”. 15/

There are no words. 16/

But here’s the thing. There need to be not only words but action – not just now and @vanderbiltu and for @mclneuro but everywhere this is happening. 17/

It happened to me @dartmouth after I had reported a sexual assault by a colleague against a student 18/

slate.com/technology/201…

I’ll be forever grateful for the scientific community that rallied to my support, wrote letters, and changed the outcome - for me. 19/

I want so much goodness in life for @mclneuro, her friends, her family, and especially her trainees. I thank her from the bottom of my heart for all she has done and all she will do to make the world a better place. 20/

I call upon @vanderbiltu to correct this miscarriage of justice post haste. 21/

And I call upon the scientific and academic community to fix this where this is happening at *your* universities right now. #MeTooStem #MeToo #TimesUp 22/22.