ABOVE: © ISTOCK.COM,
SSHEPARD
Two professors have left Johns Hopkins University after they were investigated for allegations of sexual misconduct, reports The Baltimore Sun. The university released two emails, one explaining the termination of Juan Obarrio of the Department of Anthropology and a second letter that went to the entire campus describing his departure and that of another unnamed faculty member from the School of Medicine, according to the Sun,which obtained the emails on Monday (July 22).
Obarrio was under investigation for an incident with a visiting student in May 2018, reports the Sun. Witnesses tell the newspaper that he grabbed the student and dragged her towards the exit of a bar as she tried to get away from him. The Johns Hopkins committee that investigated this matter voted to revoke his tenure and terminate his faculty appointment.
The university investigated a second faculty member under...
On Twitter, some Johns Hopkins graduate students, including Kyle Cavagnini, who was president of the Graduate Student Association during the investigation, have named the second faculty member as Sinisa Urban from the Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics. Cavagnini and a person familiar with the matter confirmed to The Scientist that it was Urban.
About damn time Sin Urban is out of Hopkins for his history of abusive behavior towards trainees, including sexual harassment. I appreciate the transparency in this email sent to all affiliates. If you want people to trust the system, be visible with actions #MeTooSTEM @JHUmetoo pic.twitter.com/QLWGECBovD
— kyle cav (@kyle_cav) July 22, 2019
One example: when news that Sin Urban was placed on paid leave started circulating through the school several faculty expressed a sentiment that it was a "shame" because he was a "good" scientist (2/5)
— Kaiti Wood (@Kaiti_May) July 23, 2019
Urban is no longer listed as a School of Medicine faculty member, and an email to his university address went unanswered.
Chia-Yi Hou is an intern at The Scientist. Email her at chou@the-scientist.com.
Interested in reading more?
The Scientist ARCHIVES
Become a Member of
