Johns Hopkins doctor on leave during investigation of negative social media post about Palestinians
BALTIMORE -- A Johns Hopkins doctor who came under fire for negative comments that were allegedly posted on X, the social media platform formerly Twitter, about Palestinians amidst the Israel-Hamas conflict has been placed on leave.
Johns Hopkins said that doctor, identified as Pediatric Cardiac Critical Care Director Dr. Darren Klugman, will have no interaction with students or patients as it conducts an investigation.
"We at Johns Hopkins share the concern of many about the deeply disturbing social media posts made by a faculty member in the School of Medicine regarding the ongoing crisis in the Middle East," Johns Hopkins said in a statement.
Johns Hopkins went on to say, "Johns Hopkins Medicine and Johns Hopkins University are committed to providing a safe and inclusive environment for working, learning and patient care for every member of our community and all those we serve. Statements that explicitly threaten or extol violence against groups or individuals on the basis of national origin, race or religion violate our policies and do not represent our values."
A Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization filed a formal complaint with the Maryland Board of Physicians against Klugman on Tuesday.
"Someone with that level of animus who's called for the wholesale slaughter of an entire ethnic group, who's called barbaric animals . . . The kind of language that was used in the posts, it really was very troubling," Zainab Chaudry said.
Chaudry is the Maryland director of the Council for American-Islamic Relations, known as CAIR.
The organization wrote to the Maryland Board of Physicians to request a formal investigation into the matter after receiving several messages and calls from concerned members of the community.
"My organization submitted an official complaint to the Maryland Board of Physicians calling for an investigation first to authenticate and validate that those tweets actually were his, and then the demand was that if they were actually his that we wanted his medical license be revoked," Chaudry said.
Chaudry said the group also wants to see action taken by Klugman's employer, Johns Hopkins.
"Hopkins, they need to take this seriously," Chaudry said. "They need to take the appropriate measures by terminating his position there."
In an email sent to colleagues, Klugman allegedly wrote in part:
These messages in no way reflect my beliefs, me as a person, a physician, a friend or colleague.
He also added:
I am fully committed to repairing the damage I have done and continuing to build relationships with each of you that allow us to deliver the world class care that makes me so proud and fortunate to be a part of Johns Hopkins Medicine.
