Duke Health Fires Conservative Doctor. Asked to produce evidence for its “racism” claims, the university hospital lashed out instead.

Duke University Health System has terminated Dr. Kendall Conger—an emergency room physician in its Raleigh, N.C., hospital. Conger had made waves in recent years for questioning, including in this Martin Center article, Duke’s 2021 “pledge” against racism in medicine.

A respected member of the medical community, Conger took no issue with standing against racism or treating people with decency and respect—primary tenets of the pledge. However, he did question whether racism in medicine was as significant a problem as Duke believed it to be and whether there was legitimate scientific evidence to support that belief. In 2020, for example, Duke Health had gone so far as to declare racism “a public health crisis.”

After years of being ignored and receiving information from Duke that was long on ideology and short on science and clinical data, Conger apparently pushed his employer over the edge.

In December 2023, Conger’s supervisor told him that the reason the institution was typically reluctant to engage him on its stances was his tendency to discuss those matters outside of the workplace. Conger was understandably puzzled that a prominent institution would take issue with members of the public hearing how it had defended things it strongly believed in. Conger immediately sent a letter to several of his colleagues informing them of the message he had received from his supervisor.

His employment terms with Duke did not require that any reason be given for his termination. However, Duke stated in a letter to Conger, “We believe your behavior is negatively impacting the emergency physician team, which could jeopardize the care of patients. Given this, we are choosing not to renew your contract for employment.”

These are the kinds of horrible "New Hippocratic Oaths" the good physician was criticizing. I think the good physician is SPOT ON in his criticism (this one happens to be from University of Pittsburgh, but in my experience, is materially the same in places that have adopted this crap:

University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine Class of 2024 Oath

As the entering class of 2020, we start our medical journey amidst the COVID-19 pandemic and a national civil rights movement reinvigorated by the killings of Breonna Taylor, George Floyd and Ahmaud Arbery. We honor the 700,000+ lives lost to COVID-19, despite the sacrifices of health care workers.

We recognize the fundamental failings of our health care and political systems in serving vulnerable communities. This oath is the first step in our enduring commitment to repairing the injustices against those historically ignored and abused in medicine: Black patients, Indigenous patients, Patients of Color and all marginalized populations who have received substandard care as a result of their identity and limited resources.

Acknowledging the privilege and responsibility that come with being a physician, I take this oath as a call to action to fulfill my duty to patients, to the medical profession and to society.

Thereby, I pledge as a physician and lifelong student of medicine:

I will support and collaborate with my colleagues across disciplines and professions, while respecting the patient’s vital role on the health care team.

I will honor my physical, mental and emotional health so as to not lessen the quality of care I provide.

I will carry on the legacy of my predecessors by mentoring the next generation of diverse physicians.

I will recognize the pivotal role of ethical research in the advancement of medicine and commit myself to endless scholarship with the ultimate goal of improving patient care.

I will care for my patients’ holistic well-being, not solely their pathology. With empathy, compassion and humility, I will prioritize understanding each patient’s narrative, background and experiences while protecting privacy and autonomy.

I will champion diversity in both medicine and society, and promote an inclusive environment by respecting the perspectives of others and relentlessly seeking to identify and eliminate my personal biases.

I will be an ally to those of low socioeconomic status, the BIPOC community, the LGBTQIA+ community, womxn/women, differently-abled individuals and other underserved groups in order to dismantle the systemic racism and prejudice that medical professionals and society have perpetuated.

I will educate myself on social determinants of health in order to use my voice as a physician to advocate for a more equitable health care system from the local to the global level.

I will restore trust between the health care community and the population in which I serve by holding myself and others accountable, and by combating misinformation in order to improve health literacy.

In making this oath, I embrace the ever-changing responsibilities of being a physician and pledge to uphold the integrity of the profession in the clinic and beyond.

Tell me that absolute Bull Sh*t doesn't sound like a Marxist Struggle Session.

[[I will carry on the legacy of my predecessors by mentoring the next generation of diverse physicians.]]

That should read

I will carry on the legacy of my predecessors by mentoring the next generation of physicians who are competent and skilled.

[[I will be an ally to those of low socioeconomic status, the BIPOC community, the LGBTQIA+ community, womxn/women, differently-abled individuals and other underserved groups in order to dismantle the systemic racism and prejudice that medical professionals and society have perpetuated. ]]

Just wow!~ Our local hospital now has signs all over warning people that ‘any racism or hatred for lgbtq or other groups will not be tolerated” of course the lgbtq can hate on straight people all they want- and the hospital will be a-ok with that because they fear the lgbtq crowd that much

local health clinics now have lgbtq posters plastered all over their walls too- it’s gettign disgusting- they have become very militant about it-

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.