December 15, 2010
Concerns about Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine in Harlem
Below are the twelve concerns that we have received from multiple reliable sources whom we received complaints from especially in light of the stated mission of Touro College of Osteopathic medicine in Harlem: *Touro COM in Harlem has 0 minority chairs of department. *Touro COM in Harlem has 0 dollars dedicated for scholarships for students with financial needs who desire to become physicians. *Touro COM in Harlem has 0 dollars dedicated for recruitment at historically black colleges. *Touro COM in Harlem has 0 hospital rotations in Harlem or communities like Harlem. *Touro COM has 1 minority administrator/director. *Touro COM in Harlem has 1 full time minority faculty or professor on your faculty Particularly disturbing are the following : *Only 1 remaining full time faculty members from an original 13+ remain on staff. The other 12 have resigned or been fired. *In merely two years of existence, Touro COM in Harlem has 2 ACLU complaints regarding discrimination. *Touro COM of Harlem has received >30 accrediting body complaints or concerns regarding academics, the mission, and other concerns regarding the schools operation and overall functioning. We were informed of the following events witnessed by the previous Clinical Dean who resigned: After being presented high quality minority faculty for consideration, administration officials stated that "the quality of the candidates is secondary to being able to control them." In response to hiring and other concerns presented to white Touro administrators, minority faculty and staff were advised to "(not) rock the boat, and just do what you are told." In fact, to give the impression that significant numbers of minority faculty were being hired, many minority faculty were offered only adjunct positions instead of full time positions and given very limited hours. Adjunct faculty were not reimbursed for mentoring to students, advising students and participating on various educational committees. Other faculty members and staff have also complained to us that minority faculty members seeking to make recommendations regarding students, the community or the school's educational curriculum were criticized as "not being a team player" and were threatened to "get with the program and join our point of view or else." Another top official has been reported saying that the school's Director of Admissions, who is a person of color, needs a "collar around him to control him like an animal." Dr. Goldberg has previously boasted that Touro COM has 19% underrepresented minorities in its student body. Touro COM clearly does not have a student body which is reflective of the nearly 90% Black and Hispanic community members of Harlem. The number of Black and Hispanic Students at Touro COM do not appear to be anywhere near its stated 19% of underrepresented minorities. Dr. Ron Davis, past-president of the American Medical Association, stated The medical profession must have diversity in the physician workforce-equivalent to that in the general population ..attaining equality of opportunity in medicine may seem an audacious goal, but is not optional for the medical profession. The current treatment of minority faculty at Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine and a paucity of African American students and Hispanic students based on the above is unacceptable in light of its stated mission. With respect to students please also note that admission should not be based on academic achievement alone, but also on the exhibition of the intellectual, personal and social traits considered most desirable in a doctor of medicine. The Empire State Medical Association feels that the student and faculty at Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine in Harlem should be more reflective of the community in which it is situated.
December 15, 2010
Recommendations for Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine in Harlem
Recommendations to Dr. Alan Kadish, President of Touro University regarding concerns of discrimination at Touro and TouroCOM. Touro has successfully created a medical school in Harlem Touro has a person conducting community affairs at TouroCOM. Touro has recruited some minority students at TouroCOM. Touro has had difficulty with retaining black faculty and preventing attrition of black students at TouroCOM and Touro. We have the following recommendations: 1) Appoint a Senior Vice President for Diversity and Assistant Financial Officer at Touro University that reports directly to Dr. Alan Kadish the President. The Colleges and schools including TouroCOM should appoint a Dean of Diversity/Assistant Financial Officer at each of the Touro Colleges/School that report directly the Senior Vice President for Diversity in addition to reporting to their respective Deans. -responsibilities include ensuring adequate recruitment of Black and other underrepresented physician and faculty with higher education experience -Ensure that there is no hostile work environment for minority faculty at all Touro Universities -responsibilities include ensuring adequate recruitment of Black and other underrepresented and students (Goal 40% minority for TouroCOM) -Ensure Financial Aid to students in need to reduce debt burden -Facilitate fundraising for scholarships for students in need -Prevent attrition with pre admission summer program assistance if needed on the front end preferably and or expanding years of training to obtain a degree (more expensive on the back end). -All faculty and students will have direct lines of communication for any reports of discrimination the Dean of Minority Affairs that can report back to Dr. Kadish. -Dean should have a reasonable budget and secretarial, support staff. -The Dean of Minority Affairs should be specific to underrepresented minorities. He should be from underrepresented minority group have input to academic affairs, student affairs, strategic planning both short-term and long-term, and monies for support for retention efforts, for outreach, and as well as for counseling and full access and transparency to review financial records as an assistant financial officer. - The dean should also have an advisory board made up of medical and educational professionals nationally to assist with recruitment of faculty, students, education matriculation of minority students at all Touro University Schools including TouroCOM. -Since Touro currently has little to no minority faculty currently. If students would like mentoring from minority physicians, Touro can contract with the National Medical Association to have students shadow physicians ($100/hour) or the Empire State Medical Association in New York for TouroCOM. - Members of the Empire State Medical Association and National Medical Association can serve on an advisory board to the Dean of Minority Affairs to insure the institution is cognizant of the community and its needs. -The Dean of Minority Affairs should also have credentials that indicate that have worked in the community, have worked in higher education, have worked in a medical school community and has displayed and can demonstrate a sensitive to the underrepresented minorities. This person should have or been instrumental in assisting minority students achieve their goals in higher education. the selection of such a person should be done by a search committee that includes either ESMA personnel, the AAMC group on diversity and inclusion and/or Harlem Community members. The person should report directly to Dr. Kadish and will be on an administrative standing whereby he/she can effect change. If a qualified person cannot be identified, then all efforts should be made to bring all interested parties (Touro College, Touro COM, ESMA/NMA consultants) to the table for a solution that is acceptable by all. -There shall be complete transparency with Job description, budget, advertising and process in identifying and hiring the Dean of Minority Affairs. -Dean will identify all faculty and student discontent and address them. -Dean will develop support systems for at risk students to ensure they matriculate. -There should be full transparency in the search for this Dean. -The presence of this Dean should be a reassurance of the commitment of Touro to Minority Students through all of its Universities, so that underrepresented minorities are not averse to coming to Touro or TouroCom. -Will implement and oversee Grassroots programs to strengthen the pipeline of minority students from elementary, high school and college levels should be encouraged and invested in with true partnerships, recruitment, and retention and nurturing with local inner city neighborhoods at all Touro Universities. -Touro and TouroCOM Admin should have transparency on the search and interview for URM faculty and Dean's. How is the search conducted? -The Dean will be an important person at the table at board meetings both downtown and various Touro Universities including TouroCOM -The Dean must sit on all committees in which student progress and performance are discussed. -Interface with feeder schools that can prepare students -Early admissions at the college level (sophomore year?) for students doing well and maintain a 3.0 GPA and minimal MCAT score. Questions: 1) With respect to faculty how many were interviewed. Where did they recruit? Admissions Office can show this for students why can't the Administration show this for the faculty search? 2) The Admission office has direct statements why URM's do not attend. Does Administration have such paper trails for recruitment of faculty and why faculty have resigned? Concerns: 1)We respect the Jewish tradition at Touro and TouroCOM and we are concerned about respecting the varied religions in Harlem including Christianity and Islam and train physicians whom are culturally competent and reflective of the community. 2) Advertisement should also occur in Black Journals such as NMA and SNMA journals, and historically black colleges for all faculty and student opportunities.
Concerns about Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine in Harlem
Below are the twelve concerns that we have received from multiple reliable sources whom we received complaints from especially in light of the stated mission of Touro College of Osteopathic medicine in Harlem: *Touro COM in Harlem has 0 minority chairs of department. *Touro COM in Harlem has 0 dollars dedicated for scholarships for students with financial needs who desire to become physicians. *Touro COM in Harlem has 0 dollars dedicated for recruitment at historically black colleges. *Touro COM in Harlem has 0 hospital rotations in Harlem or communities like Harlem. *Touro COM has 1 minority administrator/director. *Touro COM in Harlem has 1 full time minority faculty or professor on your faculty Particularly disturbing are the following : *Only 1 remaining full time faculty members from an original 13+ remain on staff. The other 12 have resigned or been fired. *In merely two years of existence, Touro COM in Harlem has 2 ACLU complaints regarding discrimination. *Touro COM of Harlem has received >30 accrediting body complaints or concerns regarding academics, the mission, and other concerns regarding the schools operation and overall functioning. We were informed of the following events witnessed by the previous Clinical Dean who resigned: After being presented high quality minority faculty for consideration, administration officials stated that "the quality of the candidates is secondary to being able to control them." In response to hiring and other concerns presented to white Touro administrators, minority faculty and staff were advised to "(not) rock the boat, and just do what you are told." In fact, to give the impression that significant numbers of minority faculty were being hired, many minority faculty were offered only adjunct positions instead of full time positions and given very limited hours. Adjunct faculty were not reimbursed for mentoring to students, advising students and participating on various educational committees. Other faculty members and staff have also complained to us that minority faculty members seeking to make recommendations regarding students, the community or the school's educational curriculum were criticized as "not being a team player" and were threatened to "get with the program and join our point of view or else." Another top official has been reported saying that the school's Director of Admissions, who is a person of color, needs a "collar around him to control him like an animal." Dr. Goldberg has previously boasted that Touro COM has 19% underrepresented minorities in its student body. Touro COM clearly does not have a student body which is reflective of the nearly 90% Black and Hispanic community members of Harlem. The number of Black and Hispanic Students at Touro COM do not appear to be anywhere near its stated 19% of underrepresented minorities. Dr. Ron Davis, past-president of the American Medical Association, stated The medical profession must have diversity in the physician workforce-equivalent to that in the general population ..attaining equality of opportunity in medicine may seem an audacious goal, but is not optional for the medical profession. The current treatment of minority faculty at Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine and a paucity of African American students and Hispanic students based on the above is unacceptable in light of its stated mission. With respect to students please also note that admission should not be based on academic achievement alone, but also on the exhibition of the intellectual, personal and social traits considered most desirable in a doctor of medicine. The Empire State Medical Association feels that the student and faculty at Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine in Harlem should be more reflective of the community in which it is situated.
December 15, 2010
Recommendations for Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine in Harlem
Recommendations to Dr. Alan Kadish, President of Touro University regarding concerns of discrimination at Touro and TouroCOM. Touro has successfully created a medical school in Harlem Touro has a person conducting community affairs at TouroCOM. Touro has recruited some minority students at TouroCOM. Touro has had difficulty with retaining black faculty and preventing attrition of black students at TouroCOM and Touro. We have the following recommendations: 1) Appoint a Senior Vice President for Diversity and Assistant Financial Officer at Touro University that reports directly to Dr. Alan Kadish the President. The Colleges and schools including TouroCOM should appoint a Dean of Diversity/Assistant Financial Officer at each of the Touro Colleges/School that report directly the Senior Vice President for Diversity in addition to reporting to their respective Deans. -responsibilities include ensuring adequate recruitment of Black and other underrepresented physician and faculty with higher education experience -Ensure that there is no hostile work environment for minority faculty at all Touro Universities -responsibilities include ensuring adequate recruitment of Black and other underrepresented and students (Goal 40% minority for TouroCOM) -Ensure Financial Aid to students in need to reduce debt burden -Facilitate fundraising for scholarships for students in need -Prevent attrition with pre admission summer program assistance if needed on the front end preferably and or expanding years of training to obtain a degree (more expensive on the back end). -All faculty and students will have direct lines of communication for any reports of discrimination the Dean of Minority Affairs that can report back to Dr. Kadish. -Dean should have a reasonable budget and secretarial, support staff. -The Dean of Minority Affairs should be specific to underrepresented minorities. He should be from underrepresented minority group have input to academic affairs, student affairs, strategic planning both short-term and long-term, and monies for support for retention efforts, for outreach, and as well as for counseling and full access and transparency to review financial records as an assistant financial officer. - The dean should also have an advisory board made up of medical and educational professionals nationally to assist with recruitment of faculty, students, education matriculation of minority students at all Touro University Schools including TouroCOM. -Since Touro currently has little to no minority faculty currently. If students would like mentoring from minority physicians, Touro can contract with the National Medical Association to have students shadow physicians ($100/hour) or the Empire State Medical Association in New York for TouroCOM. - Members of the Empire State Medical Association and National Medical Association can serve on an advisory board to the Dean of Minority Affairs to insure the institution is cognizant of the community and its needs. -The Dean of Minority Affairs should also have credentials that indicate that have worked in the community, have worked in higher education, have worked in a medical school community and has displayed and can demonstrate a sensitive to the underrepresented minorities. This person should have or been instrumental in assisting minority students achieve their goals in higher education. the selection of such a person should be done by a search committee that includes either ESMA personnel, the AAMC group on diversity and inclusion and/or Harlem Community members. The person should report directly to Dr. Kadish and will be on an administrative standing whereby he/she can effect change. If a qualified person cannot be identified, then all efforts should be made to bring all interested parties (Touro College, Touro COM, ESMA/NMA consultants) to the table for a solution that is acceptable by all. -There shall be complete transparency with Job description, budget, advertising and process in identifying and hiring the Dean of Minority Affairs. -Dean will identify all faculty and student discontent and address them. -Dean will develop support systems for at risk students to ensure they matriculate. -There should be full transparency in the search for this Dean. -The presence of this Dean should be a reassurance of the commitment of Touro to Minority Students through all of its Universities, so that underrepresented minorities are not averse to coming to Touro or TouroCom. -Will implement and oversee Grassroots programs to strengthen the pipeline of minority students from elementary, high school and college levels should be encouraged and invested in with true partnerships, recruitment, and retention and nurturing with local inner city neighborhoods at all Touro Universities. -Touro and TouroCOM Admin should have transparency on the search and interview for URM faculty and Dean's. How is the search conducted? -The Dean will be an important person at the table at board meetings both downtown and various Touro Universities including TouroCOM -The Dean must sit on all committees in which student progress and performance are discussed. -Interface with feeder schools that can prepare students -Early admissions at the college level (sophomore year?) for students doing well and maintain a 3.0 GPA and minimal MCAT score. Questions: 1) With respect to faculty how many were interviewed. Where did they recruit? Admissions Office can show this for students why can't the Administration show this for the faculty search? 2) The Admission office has direct statements why URM's do not attend. Does Administration have such paper trails for recruitment of faculty and why faculty have resigned? Concerns: 1)We respect the Jewish tradition at Touro and TouroCOM and we are concerned about respecting the varied religions in Harlem including Christianity and Islam and train physicians whom are culturally competent and reflective of the community. 2) Advertisement should also occur in Black Journals such as NMA and SNMA journals, and historically black colleges for all faculty and student opportunities.
