Melissa Ing, DMD, an associate professor at Boston-based Tufts University School of Dental Medicine, filed a lawsuit accusing the school of gender discrimination and retaliation after she alleged sexual harassment in the workplace, reports The Tufts Daily.
The lawsuit claims that former colleague Roland Vanaria, DDS, directed inappropriate comments at Dr. Ing. According to the lawsuit, Dr. Vanaria would "state things to her such as 'come on, lift up your lab coat,'" and "'come on hon, why don't you sit on my lap?'" Dr. Ing reported this to her supervisor, requesting Dr. Vanaria be removed from her office premises.
In June 2017, Tufts' Office of Equal Opportunity launched an investigation, described by Dr. Ing's suit as "severely flawed." Dr. Ing claims she was accused of complaining only in light of the #MeToo movement and after learning that another female staff member had complained about Dr. Vanaria and subsequently left the school.
In July 2018, Dr. Vanaria was dismissed for reasons unrelated to Dr. Ing, according to the suit. Dr. Vanaria didn't respond to the Daily's request for comment.
Dr. Ing, who started working at Tufts in 2011, was denied promotion to full professor in 2018, and was allegedly met with silence or falsehoods when she asked why. More than six of her male colleagues were promoted during that year's cycle, the lawsuit says.
In 2019, Dr. Ing was denied promotion again on the basis of a qualification that the lawsuit claims she met. A male colleague, who didn't meet the qualification, was endorsed for promotion less than four months earlier, according to the lawsuit.
Given her experience and several awards, the lawsuit claims Dr. Ing's continued denials for promotion were on the basis of retaliation.
"I know I am not alone in experiencing these forms of retaliation and discrimination within Tufts as an institution or within the dental field," Dr. Ing said, according to the Daily. "My lived experience is similar to those endured by countless other women in my field and beyond. We all need to stand together and not let powerful institutions like Tufts silence us."
"Tufts University prohibits discrimination, including sexual misconduct and retaliation for engaging in any protected activity, against any member of its community," Patrick Collins, executive director of media relations at Tufts, wrote in an email to the Daily. "The University is fully committed to the equitable treatment of all employees."
Mr. Collins said the university can't comment on cases in litigation, but said the lawsuit was shared with the media before Tufts was served.
"It is unfortunate that this case has been presented to the media — and the public — with inaccurate and incomplete facts," Mr. Collins said. "We intend to respond to the suit in the normal course of the litigation and we ask that our community withhold judgment until all the facts are known."