Pitt School of Medicine Agrees to Black Students' Petition for Reforms, Promises Ombuds

Last Thursday afternoon, the Dean of the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine agreed to a wide range of demands from Black students. Over 400 students had signed a petition seeking changes such as scholarships for Black students to additional support staff to reforming curriculum and policies. According to an email obtained by The Pitt News, Anantha Shekhar, the Senior Vice Chancellor for Health Sciences and the School’s Dean, agreed to many of the demands, including the appointment of an Ombudsperson.

While the Dean's email was short on details, the students' petition laid out the reasons the School should have an Ombuds:

UPSOM should hire an Ombudsperson to advocate for fairness and equity among students. At present, UPSOM is one of a small handful of Top 20 medical schools without an ombudsperson. Per the 2019 US News and World Report ranking, only 2 medicals ranked higher than UPSOM lack an Ombudsperson. Designated as a neutral party, the Ombudsperson must be independent from the traditional UPSOM administrative procedures in structure, function, and appearance, thus remaining unaligned and impartial. The Ombudsperson must maintain strict confidentiality of those seeking assistance except as required by law (Title IX). The Ombudsperson must not be involved with academic grading or feedback to students. All students must have the right to freely speak with the Ombudsperson with no retaliation for exercising this right. The Ombudsperson should identify from groups underrepresented in medicine.

The school has not announced the time frame for any of the changes. (Black Students of the University of Pittsburgh Petition; The Pitt News.)

Note: In 2015, the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, the large integrated health provider system which is closely affiliated with, but legally separate from, the University of Pittsburgh, announced that it was hiring a Graduate Medical Education Ombudsman. However, that effort apparently did not come to fruition. 

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