While I was there I was explicitly denied surgical cases on the basis of “previous experience” as if surgical skills don’t need to be reinforced over time so I could do scout work on the floors. @BIDMCSurgery #BlackintheIvory
This was just the beginning of it I found. When things weren’t working out with my research mentor, I went to my program director for support, and to look into switching labs. @BIDMCSurgery
Instead of assisting me through meetings and contacts as we had discussed. She went behind my back and told my PI I had complained to her. My PI started calling me daily in the middle of the night with harassing phone calls. @BIDMCSurgery #BlackintheIvory
Eventually, to retailiate, she accused me of plagerising a draft of a chapter I had just turned in. I had used the sources she had recommended. @BIDMCSurgery. This was retaliation thanks to the tip off from my PD. #BlackintheIvory
At this point I resigned from the lab position, because #constructivedissmisal, the situation was non-tenable. I endured a series of harassing phone calls from my PD,who seemed angry that I had lined up new income moonlighting after I had resigned. @BIDMCSurgery #blackintheivory
I was then scheduled to meet with the Chair of the department of surgery. Prior to my meeting my PI and PD primed him with their version of events so that my story as a resident would basically fall on deaf ears. #BlackintheIvory @BIDMCSurgery
I forgot to mention that when my PI was accusing me of plagerism, she made sure to mention that MLK was accused of plagerism, a fact I was unaware of but was notable that she was- seemed like an effort to paint us blacks as liars. Fun! #BlackintheIvory @BIDMCSurgery
The chair was confused by everything, so didn’t take much action. However did make sure to invite me to serve on a diversity&inclusion panel at HMS, and made sure when they had a black visiting professor that I was touted out to show the #diversity @BIDMCSurgery #BlackintheIvory
Didn’t stop there. Without a lab position on my clinical research years and without support from my department, the trauma of being falsely accused of plagerism as retaliation by @TsengJennifer began to erode my mental health. @BIDMCSurgery #BlackintheIvory
I, yes ME, I. Made the decision that I needed to take some time off, and head home to Chicago to get my head on straight. During all this I was getting my MPH at @HarvardChanSPH who by the way we’re incredibly supportive. #BlackintheIvory @BIDMCSurgery
I gave away most of my moonlighting shifts (where you work in the hospital) for February and March Of that year. I also waited at home, before leaving for Chicago for 5 days, after I’d emailed this same program director again... @BIDMCSurgery #BlackintheIvory
To let her know what the situation was. I received no response. None. @BIDMCSurgery
I then came back, started going to therapy 2xweek, focused on my mental health so I could get back to living my life &to my degree. I did a good job of it actually; and was feeling quite hopeful when I was ready to restart my degree in mid March. @BIDMCSurgery #BlackintheIvory
Keep in mind it’s been 2 months and I hadn’t received ANY response or contact from Tara Kent, the program director. I requested to be back on the schedule full time (id been on for 4 shifts/mo the previous two months) @BIDMCSurgery #BlackintheIvory.
For some odd reason, the schedule was late. No one knew why. #BlackintheIvory @BIDMCSurgery
Finally I receive an invitation to a meeting with Tara Kent, the program director. I wasn’t informed but the HEAD OF GRADUATE MEDICAL EDUCATION and the HEAD OF HR were also in attendance. Cool. #BlackintheIvory @BIDMCSurgery keep in mind I had just got back on my feet.
Tara Kent had the audacity to say that we were having this meeting to assess whether I was “fit to work”. Even though I had taken 4 shifts both during the month of February and the month of March, and had reached out to her prior to cutting back with no response. @BIDMCSurgery
Fortunately for me, my parents are both physicians so I know how the game works. I came with a printed copy of the email she failed to respond to, a letter from my therapist stating I was fit to work, and an innovice from all the sessions I had the part 2 months. @BIDMCSurgery
So then they started with the false accusations. They claimed someone, who they could not name, and could not give a date to the incident claimed I was angry in the hospital and yelled at someone. #BlackintheIvory @BIDMCSurgery
I informed them that unless they come come up with a specific incident, this was untrue, because I’m a black woman in a hospital in Boston. @BIDMCSurgery #BlackinIvory
The HR lady sneered “this isn’t about race!” And I clarified- I said “no, I mean I’m a black woman at a hospital in Boston. I’m not allowed to yell at folks like my white colleagues do. So I promise you this didn’t happen. #BlackintheIvory @BIDMCSurgery
They got real quiet after that, and I left. I demanded my shifts back, half of which I got. Unfortunately, This destroyed whatever semblance of stability I had built, and made it completely impossible for me to complete my degree on time. I was in free fall. #BlackintheIvory
I decided to move to California and all I could do was muster the wherewithal to show up for my moonlighting shifts, do the work, and make money so I could get out of there. It wasn’t about a plan, it was about extracting myself from a toxic situation that was threatening my life
I got out. Once I had saved up enough from the job I moved to California with basically nothing, left my shell of an existence in Boston and started the painful task of rebuilding my mind and my life. #blackntheivory @BIDMCSurgery
So the question I pose for @BIDMCSurgery and @Harvard, is this. How can you tweet, and stage protests about Black lives matter when your treatment of the black lives you’ve encountered has been so toxic?
How can you, @BIDMCSurgery, Tara Kent, @TsengJennifer tweet about George Floyd or Breonna Taylor when you are personally responsible for nearly ending and destroying black lives?
Your words are hollow, @TsengJennifer @BIDMCSurgery and Tara Kent (I think she may have blocked me.. typical) if it’s not coupled with a serious look at the racism you let destroy my black life that runs unchecked in your institution. #BlackintheIvory
The destruction of potential that you are personally responsible for, is shameful&disgusting. And this isn’t just @BIDMCSurgery. A lot of organizations right now are saying #BLM because it’s #trending. It is actually disrespectful if it’s not backed up with institutional change.
There are so many institutions that allow structural racism to run rampant, unchecked, that destroy the potential, the minds, the hopes, the dreams, the aspirations, and the lives of black people. @BIDMCSurgery is just one example. #blackintheivory
So while it’s great to see cute statements, it’s meaningless unless you do something about the implicitly and explicitly racist people you keep in power in your institutions who allowed this to happen to me without recourse or even acknowledgement of the grave harm done.
That’s my story. I have more to say, but it won’t be here. Stay tuned. And the remember that hypocrisy is more violent than silence. @BIDMCSurgery #BlackintheIvory
As for me, I’m fine. Picking up the pieces. And I’ve actually built a great life out here. Work at some great institutions too. Still taking next steps toward the future. Yes, @BIDMCSurgery is personally responsible for driving me away from medicine, but I’m bright and talented.
I’ll find a fucking way. No thanks to them. @BIDMCSurgery 😡
Couple things. 1, there is an error in my previous tweet. I said my PD called me multiple times to harass me in the middle of the night and engage me in gaslighting emotionally violent phone calls. That wasn’t my PD, that was @TsengJennifer my PI.
Also happens to be the chair of surgery at @The_BMC in case anyone is wondering why I kept quiet for so long.
2, the point of me naming names and calling this out is because this is RAMPANT across institutions in this country. I have never worked at a place more structurally racist than @BIDMCSurgery but if it’s happening @Harvard affiliates, it’s happening everywhere. #BlackintheIvory
3. I’m not really looking for anything other than accountability and honesty. I have shared my story here. I know probably 8 others that are just as bad if not worse of egregious instances of abuse on the basis of race and gender @BIDMCSurgery #BlackintheIvory
But those stories aren’t mine to tell. Only my story is my story. But it’s never just one. Don’t let them ever for a second make you believe that it’s circumstantial. This is a SYSTEMIC issue. It needs to be dismantled by all of us. This is my part. @BIDMCSurgery #BlackinIvory
Oh another fun fact. Throughout this situation I sent @TaraSotskyKent a number of emails explicitly stating that I felt that what was happening to me was racist, all of which were ignored until that cute staged meeting. @BIDMCSurgery #BlackintheIvory
Something I was reminded of that’s directly relevant- part of why I started to feel like my lab wasn’t a good fit was because I wanted to do health disparities research. I was discouraged by @TsengJennifer from using race as a differentiating factor #blackintheivory
To me, this was was incredibly problematic because it was 2017 and health disprities was well established to be most prominent by race. To me, the resistance to was 2/2 colorblind racism—attempt to erase the realities of the injustices we face in healthcare #blackintheIvory
*4 shifts/month WITHOUT INCIDENT I should say.
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