A former Vanderbilt University Medical Center medical resident plans to sue the Nashville, Tenn.-based hospital for racial discrimination and retaliation, according to the Tennessean.
Four things to know:
1. Eugene Gu, MD, on Feb. 15 tweeted a lightly redacted copy of a complaint with the Tennessee Human Rights Commission and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. The complaint alleged that VUMC was aware of harassment Dr. Gu faced but took no action to stop it from occurring. Instead, the institution retaliated against him for speaking out publicly about the harassment, the complaint states.
"Throughout my tenure with [Vanderbilt], I and my other non-white peers were subjected to harassment and discrimination. ... After I raised my concerns publicly, [Vanderbilt] began to discipline me. [Vanderbilt] wrote me up, suspended me and ultimately refused to renew my contract on or about July 1, 2018," Dr. Gu wrote in the complaint.
2. Dr. Gu said he also plans to file a discrimination lawsuit against VUMC in federal court in California. He claimed he would not receive fair treatment in a Tennessee court because of VUMC's "influence" in the state, according to the report.
3. Dr. Gu's employment at VUMC ended in summer 2018 after the hospital declined to renew his contract, ending his five-year residency after only three years, the report states. He was initially placed on leave in November 2017 after the hospital reportedly received a complaint from a patient about Dr. Gu's social activism.
4. A VUMC representative told the Tennessean that the hospital had not been served with the EEOC complaint and is not yet prepared to respond to Dr. Gu's allegations. In a January 2018 statement to Becker's Hospital Review, VUMC said its "actions relating to Dr. Gu's progress as a surgery resident have been and will continue to be based on his performance and his adherence to VUMC policies."
To access the full report, click here.