Commentary

Lewis Katz School of Medicine Changes Tune After Being Caught Red-Handed

  • By Do No Harm Staff
  • April 21, 2025
  • Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University

The Lewis Katz School of Medicine (LKSOM) at Temple University has elected to remove exclusionary language from its public advertisement of an event for “women faculty” – motivated, in all likelihood, by the efforts of Do No Harm.

LKSOM is hosting a May 16 “workshop” through its Status of Women Faculty committee that will feature “engaging sessions on advocacy and empowerment,” according to a flyer advertising the event. The event will “culminate in the announcement of the 2025 Women in Medicine and Science Mentoring Award recipients,” referring to an annual award recognizing faculty members for their work advancing the professional success of women at LKSOM.

But note the exclusionary language in the fine print and event description: “Join fellow LKSOM women faculty” and “A workshop for LKSOM women faculty.”

Figure 1. The original flyer distributed by LKSOM featuring exclusionary language.

In response, Do No Harm filed a complaint with the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights, sending a courtesy copy to Temple’s and LKSOM’s leadership warning the school that the exclusionary language violates Title IX’s prohibition of sex discrimination for institutions that accept federal funding.   

It appears that Temple and LKSOM got the message.

Conspicuously absent from the new flyer advertising the event is the exclusionary language restricting the event to only “women faculty.”

Figure 2. The second flyer distributed by LKSOM with the exclusionary language removed.

On one hand, it’s encouraging that LKSOM is now complying with federal civil right laws.

But on the other hand, it should not be incumbent on watchdogs like Do No Harm to alert rogue institutions of their legal obligations, and it shouldn’t take the threat of a legal challenge to bring about this mandatory compliance.

It sure looks like LKSOM was simply caught red-handed and is now attempting to control the fallout. And it’s especially disingenuous that LKSOM portrayed its unlawful planned discrimination as just an honest mistake by adding the statement “As always, all are welcome” to the new flyer.

In reality, “all were not welcome” at LKSOM’s event until Do No Harm challenged its flagrant violation of federal civil rights laws.