On her first day back from medical leave, Dr. Omaida Velazquez was called into a meeting and told she would no longer be the surgery department chair at the University of Miami Miller School Medicine, a top position she had held for years.
The renowned doctor and tenured professor says in a lawsuit she is convinced her removal is retaliation for whistleblowing on gender discrimination and health and safety violations. She is suing the University of Miami Health System (UHealth), and the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, which are part of the University of Miami.
Velazquez, a Cuban who broke a glass ceiling in 2015 when she took on the job of surgeon chair and surgeon-in-chief, is accusing the university of underpaying her compared with UM’s male department chairs. The doctor is also accusing UM leaders of targeting her, including “threatening her medical credentials,” as part of a lengthy campaign to “torpedo” her career for whistleblowing.
“To many on the outside, UM appears to be a leading academic and medical facility. But for Dr. Velazquez, the University has been a vipers’ nest of race, gender, and national origin discrimination. When she complained and sought redress, UM leaders launched a vengeful, retaliatory campaign against her because of her protected class status and her willingness to report discrimination and safety violations,” states the lawsuit, which was filed this week in the U.S. Southern District of Florida.
The suit names the University...
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