LOS ANGELES,CA-Dr. Rohit Varma resigned from his position as dean of the University of Southern California, Keck School of Medicine on Oct 12, according to a letter from Varma to Keck staff and faculty.-“I care deeply about the Keck School and felt it was in the best interest of the school for me to step down at this time,” Varma said in the letter. The Los Angeles Times reported Oct 12 that in 2003, USC had disciplined Varma following allegations...
that he had sexually harassed a researcher while he was a junior professor.
USC did not confirm that the sexual harassment accusation and Varma’s resignation were related.
“Today we learned previously undisclosed information that caused us to lose confidence in Dr. Varma’s ability to lead the school,” USC Provost Michael Quick said in a statement. “Our leaders must be held to the highest standards. Dr. Varma understands this, and chose to step down.”
The harassment complaint sprang from a 2002 ophthalmology conference. At the time, Varma was a 40-year-old rising star in ophthalmology with an inspirational backstory. Raised in India, he had volunteered at a leper colony during medical school and worked alongside Mother Teresa. He had come to USC in 1993 and carved out a niche researching the prevalence of eye problems in minorities — a field of study the federal government was eager to fund. A young international student working for Varma on one of those research projects accompanied him to the conference. The woman later told USC investigators that when they arrived at the conference hotel, Varma told the woman he had booked a single room and expected her to share a bed with him. When she questioned the arrangement, Varma claimed the grant money would only cover one room, the sources said. She said that when she protested further, he took her cellphone away and threatened to have her visa revoked, according to the sources. The woman told investigators that she had no money to pay for her own room and ended up sleeping on a cot in Varma’s room, the sources said.
She reported the incident to USC, and the university’s Office of Equity and Diversity launched an investigation of Varma for sexual harassment and retaliation. Investigators found evidence to support her claims, according to confidential university records reviewed by The Times. “It has been determined that there is sufficient basis to conclude that inappropriate behavior has occurred,” then-Keck medical school Dean Stephen Ryan wrote to Varma in a March 2003 letter. “Further inappropriate behavior will result in your dismissal.” “The behavior you exhibited is inappropriate and unacceptable in the workplace, reflects poor judgment, is contrary to the University’s standards of conduct, and will not be tolerated at the University of Southern California,” a USC official wrote in a 2003 letter of reprimand. Following the incident, Varma was denied an expected promotion, his salary was reduced by $30,000 and he was ordered to go through sexual harassment counseling.
In 2004, Varma’s salary reduction was removed and he was promoted to full professor the following year.
“This incident was addressed and resolved 15 years ago,” the statement read. “We carefully considered Dr. Varma’s character and qualifications before rehiring and promoting him. We remain confident in his ability to lead the Keck School of Medicine.”
The sexual harassment allegation is well known in the upper echelons of the university, but not among many of the students and staff. The Times learned of it after publishing the July report about Puliafito. Current and former faculty members contacted the newspaper to express concern that Varma was overseeing the medical school given the harassment finding.
USC did not confirm that the sexual harassment accusation and Varma’s resignation were related.
“Today we learned previously undisclosed information that caused us to lose confidence in Dr. Varma’s ability to lead the school,” USC Provost Michael Quick said in a statement. “Our leaders must be held to the highest standards. Dr. Varma understands this, and chose to step down.”
The harassment complaint sprang from a 2002 ophthalmology conference. At the time, Varma was a 40-year-old rising star in ophthalmology with an inspirational backstory. Raised in India, he had volunteered at a leper colony during medical school and worked alongside Mother Teresa. He had come to USC in 1993 and carved out a niche researching the prevalence of eye problems in minorities — a field of study the federal government was eager to fund. A young international student working for Varma on one of those research projects accompanied him to the conference. The woman later told USC investigators that when they arrived at the conference hotel, Varma told the woman he had booked a single room and expected her to share a bed with him. When she questioned the arrangement, Varma claimed the grant money would only cover one room, the sources said. She said that when she protested further, he took her cellphone away and threatened to have her visa revoked, according to the sources. The woman told investigators that she had no money to pay for her own room and ended up sleeping on a cot in Varma’s room, the sources said.
She reported the incident to USC, and the university’s Office of Equity and Diversity launched an investigation of Varma for sexual harassment and retaliation. Investigators found evidence to support her claims, according to confidential university records reviewed by The Times. “It has been determined that there is sufficient basis to conclude that inappropriate behavior has occurred,” then-Keck medical school Dean Stephen Ryan wrote to Varma in a March 2003 letter. “Further inappropriate behavior will result in your dismissal.” “The behavior you exhibited is inappropriate and unacceptable in the workplace, reflects poor judgment, is contrary to the University’s standards of conduct, and will not be tolerated at the University of Southern California,” a USC official wrote in a 2003 letter of reprimand. Following the incident, Varma was denied an expected promotion, his salary was reduced by $30,000 and he was ordered to go through sexual harassment counseling.
In 2004, Varma’s salary reduction was removed and he was promoted to full professor the following year.
“This incident was addressed and resolved 15 years ago,” the statement read. “We carefully considered Dr. Varma’s character and qualifications before rehiring and promoting him. We remain confident in his ability to lead the Keck School of Medicine.”
The sexual harassment allegation is well known in the upper echelons of the university, but not among many of the students and staff. The Times learned of it after publishing the July report about Puliafito. Current and former faculty members contacted the newspaper to express concern that Varma was overseeing the medical school given the harassment finding.
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