Dr. Darren Klugman, director of pediatric cardiac critical care at Johns Hopkins was suspended for his strongly-worded criticism on social media of the Palestinian attitude toward Israel following the October 7 massacre by Hamas.
https://www.jhunewsletter.com/article/2023/11/hopkins-must-hold-dr-darren-klugman-accountable
https://nypost.com/2023/11/17/news/johns-hopkins-doc-on-leave-after-calling-palestinians-animals/
https://www.commentary.org/daniel-halper/forgive-dr-darren-klugman/
February 11, 2024
Dr. Ronald J. Daniels, President
The Johns Hopkins University
242 Garland Hall
3400 N. Charles Street
Baltimore, Maryland 21218
Phone: (410) 516-8068
Fax: (410) 516-6097
E-mail: president@jhu.edu
Dear President Daniels,
The Committee of Concerned Scientists is an independent organization of scientists, physicians, engineers, and scholars devoted to the protection and advancement of human rights and scientific freedom for colleagues all over the world.
We are writing regarding Dr. Darren Klugman, the director of pediatric critical care at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. After the occurrence of the October 7th attacks by Hamas, Dr. Klugman used strong words toward Palestinians on social media which created outrage inside and outside Johns Hopkins. Following the opinion expressed by Dr. Klugman’s critics he was dangerous to his patients, he was suspended, and his medical career came to a stall.
The Committee is concerned Dr. Klugman’s punishment over his social media posts violated his freedom of expression and the perception of the danger he presented to his patients (if this was the ground for his suspension) was unjustified and unwarranted. While the wording of his statements on social media (that we do not approve of and for which he apologized) is regretful, his impulsive reaction to the October 7th massacre should have been considered in the context of the outrage felt by a pediatrician who learned about the massacre of children.
We would appreciate receiving a clear explanation from your administration about the reasons for Dr. Klugman’s suspension. Thank you for your attention to this serious matter.
Sincerely,
CC:
Theodore deWeeese
Dean and CEO of Johns Hopkins School of Medicine
Johns Hopkins Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center
401 N. Broadway
Baltimore, MD 21231
Phone: (410) 955-6980
Fax: (410) 502-7234
E-mail: deweese@jhmi.edu