The Song Remains the Same

Once again, OHSU is the subject of news stories detailing the lack of action by leaders when confronted with allegations against a high-ranking colleague. 

While the details of this particular incident are unique, the behavior of those at the top reaches of OHSU’s leadership are not— the inability to take allegations of sexual harassment seriously, the failure of mandatory reporters, minimal (at best) follow up with the harassed individuals, taking the word of the accused over those of the accuser, allowing those accused to quietly resign, and, in this case, even receive a large financial bonus,  finally taking action only after being publicly embarrassed when the story hits the news but ultimately failing to hold any high-ranking enablers accountable— are all too familiar. 

We have seen all of this play out before. It was not that long ago that OHSU hired the law firm of the former United States Attorney General Eric Holder to investigate, report, and provide recommendations on how OHSU'S harassment process and policies. Holder's firm was hired following a series of very public and damaging harassment lawsuits, expensive out-of-court settlements, and numerous news stories.  One of these stories involved the now-infamous “TikTok doc.”

At the time, the number and frequency of these events called into question how OHSU leaders handle allegations of sexual harassment and misconduct. Ultimately, the 6.5 million dollar investigation would lead to a scathing report that included a list of recommendations to change the culture within leadership that enabled those failures. 

OHSU sent out a report titled ‘Culture Change at OHSU’ to detail all the changes taking place intended to implement the recommendations of the Covington report.  The date OHSU sent the report was August and September of 2022. The date of the first Marks allegations: July 2022. Yet, the  mandatory reporter who received the accusation, per their own words, didn’t feel that a dean taking surreptitious pictures of a student amounted to sexual harassment. The arrogance, dismissiveness, and lack of concern for those reporting behind this statement illustrates a leadership culture that remains unchanged post-Covington 

So here we are again. The song remains the same. Dr. Jacobs’ is once again making humble statements about OHSU’s values, claiming to use trauma-informed approaches, expressing concern for those affected, and promising investigations. What this sad replay of events proves is that all the reports, the committees, the apologies steeped in corporate legalese, hiring a high-profile a former attorney general's law firm, and even spending of 6.5 million dollars can't create cultural change at OHSU without accountability. 

The ultimate test for Dr. Jacobs’s stated desire to change the culture of OHSU's leadership is holding its leaders accountable. Everyone who failed to meet their responsibilities, regardless of title, years of employment, institutional prestige, or amount of revenue they generate needs to be held accountable.

Only then will the toxic culture at the top begin to change. Only then will we take his words seriously, and only will trust begin to be restored. 

Michael Stewart

AFSCME 328 Lead Steward