Jeffrey Lieberman suspended from academic and clinical roles following racist tweet

Upper West Side NY

23 February, 2022

3:37 PM

Description

Columbia Daily Spectator BY IRIE SENTNER FEBRUARY 23, 2022 Dr. Jeffrey Lieberman, the Lawrence C. Kolb professor at Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons and a psychiatrist at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, has been suspended from his roles as chair of the psychiatry department and Psychiatrist-in-Chief of the hospital, senior administrators announced today in an email sent to the Columbia University Irving Medical Center community. The suspension comes two days after Lieberman posted a racist tweet, though the email provides no mention of the tweet nor any explanation for the suspension. Senior administrators will meet today with the department of psychiatry and will soon announce an interim chair. In the tweet, Lieberman quote-tweeted a photo of a Sudanese model that falsely described her as "in the Guinness Book of World Records for having the darkest skin ever seen on earth. She is also known as the QUEEN OF THE DARK." Lieberman added "Whether a work of art or freak of nature, she's a beautiful sight to behold." The Guinness World Records does not monitor skin tone. Lieberman, who received almost-immediate backlash, deleted the tweet and tweeted "TWEET DELETED. My sincere apologies for any offense taken and indiscretion. Living and learning." The tweet faced criticism from both the CUIMC and broader medical communities for being non-specific and performative. Lieberman has since deleted his Twitter account. Lieberman could not be reached for comment at the time of publication. The University has declined to comment. News Editor Irie Sentner can be contacted at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @iriesentner. Founded in 1877, the Columbia Daily Spectator is the independent undergraduate newspaper of Columbia University, serving thousands of readers in Morningside Heights, West Harlem, and beyond. Read more at columbiaspectator.com and donate here.