I was suspended from @KPMedSchool without due process. I hoped the school & the Board led by @HollyJHumphrey would do right, but instead of hiring a restorative justice consultant to facilitate healing, the school hired a litigator. They had no interest in healing the community.
They recognized that an institution that would suspend, fire, and defame a faculty attending physician without due process, cannot then value its students.
Please consider a donation toward my legal costs. I am committed to advocating for racial and gender equity within medicine.
A few months ago, well before I shared my story publicly, a friend tried to help me understand that I can use any vehicle to teach. I didn’t need a classroom. He advised that I share with Black students what it means to be #BlackinMedicine 1/15
Growing up in Atlanta gives you a different sense of the world. You’re surrounded by Black professionals. Undoubtedly there’s racism but you learn to work hard and that your work will speak for you. Indeed Until now, my work, clinical and teaching, has spoken for itself. 2/15
Patients loved seeing me because they would “always learn something”, students would schedule extra free time with me because they loved my teaching style and feedback, my coworkers would come to me for advice for their loved ones because they trusted my judgment. 3/15
Thank you Medscape, @elliepses@ShimonDCohen@DrOmolara for helping me amplify my story. This photo was from my interview day. I excitedly called my “work mom”. She said from the sound of my voice she had no doubts I’d get the job. So joyous that day!
@KPMedSchool may continue to deny why I was fired but they cannot deny that I was up for promotion June 10 and then suspended within 9 hours of the August 28 class. They cannot rewrite history when I was told numerous times why I was suspended.
@DrMarkSchuster you cannot claim that I have performance and conduct issues that didn’t exist prior to my suspension. You cannot create official complaints retroactively. #MedTwitter sees what happened. Prove your commitment to antiracism. Own what you’ve attempted to do to me.
I appreciate this outpouring of support. If good can come from what happened to me, please start an antiracism journey NOW. Start in your business, department, home. Are you using your privilege to amplify the voices of minoritized and racialized folks around you?
As uncomfortable as it may be to hear, your silence allows situations like mine and worse than mine to occur. My situation was allowed to occur b/c 100s of faculty decided “this isn’t my problem” “I don’t have enough information” “I don’t want that to be me” “I never liked her”
But I have nothing to hide or be ashamed of. There is no additional information that’s coming. We know what happened without me being explicit. Leadership knows I didn’t violate any policy. They’ve never provided one. (The school doesn’t even have a code of conduct.)