Reporting Mistreatment

Contact: Stacey Kaltman, PhD, at sk279@georgetown.edu. Dr. Kaltman will respond and set up a time to meet with you or speak by phone. 

Students are always welcome to first raise their concerns informally, either with the teacher directly or with the Office of the Ombuds. The Ombuds Office provides an informal, impartial, neutral, and confidential environment where medical students can discuss University-related concerns and disputes. The Ombuds Officer listens, helps bring forth a greater understanding of the problem and possible solution and looks for information applicable to the situation. The Ombuds office does not advocate for any individual point of view, and does not participate in any formal grievance process, but works to promote a fair process for all. The function of the School of Medicine Ombuds Officer is to listen thoughtfully and sympathetically to the concerns of medical students and to assist them in identifying options for addressing their concerns. Last Updated September 28, 2016, the Ombuds Office will not identify you or any information concerning your visit without your permission, except in certain situations where disclosure is required by law (e.g. a court order, potential risk to self or others, unlawful harassment, etc.). Speaking to the Ombuds Office about a concern does not constitute legal notice to Georgetown University. Anyone wishing to put the University on notice, that is, to make the University formally aware of a particular problem, should contact one of the three other reporting options.

For more information about the Ombuds Office, please see Appendix E of the Student Handbook.

Contact: Princy Kumar, MD, at kumarp@georgetown.edu. She can also be reached via her assistant at (202) 444-0244, who can assist you in scheduling an appointment. Urgent issues can also be referred to the Office of Student Affairs, who are able to reach Dr. Kumar at all times.

Students may refer their complaints of mistreatment within a teacher-learner relationship to the Senior Associate Dean for Students in the Office of Student Affairs.

Depending on the nature of the complaint, the Senior Associate Dean for Students may:

• Address the complaint directly with the individual against whom the complaint has been brought, or;
• Refer the complaint directly to the appropriate authority, i.e., if the individual against whom the complaint has been brought is:
  • A member of the School of Medicine faculty, the appropriate authority would be the chair of his or her department
  • A member of the housestaff, the appropriate authority would be his or her residency director
  • Another member of the health care team, the appropriate authority would be his or her immediate supervisor
  • A member of the staff (e.g., the Office of the Dean for Medical Education), the appropriate authority would be their immediate supervisor
  • If a student reports an instance of sexual misconduct, including sexual harassment or sexual assault, by a faculty member, the case will be referred to IDEAA. IDEAA will investigate the report pursuant to its Grievance Procedures to Investigate Allegations of Discrimination and Harassment. 

Medical Student Life Advisory Committee (MSLAC) offers freedom for confidential discussions. Students will have the opportunity to submit concerns via surveys in a password-protected and anonymous site (under the caveat that MSLAC has a responsibility to report any situation which may need to be disclosed where the case may do harm to others – for example abuse, gender, and racial discrimination, sexual harassment or personal safety of the student/others).

The procedures will specify the mechanisms for the prompt handling of such complaints, and for the educational methods aimed at preventing student mistreatment: How to Report an Incident of Bias, Harassment, or Mistreatment.

Provide an anonymous comment.

Contact a Title IX Coordinator or Deputy Coordinator to report an incident of sexual assault, or to receive help after a sexual assault.

Consistent with Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 (“Title IX”), when the University is made aware of any incident of sexual harassment or misconduct, it will respond appropriately to protect and maintain the safety of the University community. To achieve this, the University’s Title IX Coordinator and Deputy Title IX Coordinators provide information about available on- and off-campus resources, explain the University’s formal complaint process, help individuals navigate through the University’s systems, assist with interim protective measures (such as changes in living or academic arrangements), and investigate further where applicable. Note that Title IX Coordinators will keep information private to the extent possible, but they are not “confidential resources.” Those who wish to keep information strictly confidential should contact the University’s confidential resources, listed above.

Visit the IDEAA website.

If a student wishes to address their concern at the University level, may contact the Office for Institutional Diversity, Equity and Affirmative Action (IDEAA). Students who believe they have been subject to unlawful harassment are urged to pursue their concerns with the Office of Institutional Diversity, Equity, and Affirmative Action (IDEAA). IDEAA is responsible for reviewing, investigating, and resolving alleged violations of the University’s Equal Employment/Affirmative Action Policies and the Policy Statement on Harassment. This includes allegations of unlawful discrimination and harassment on the basis of age, color, disability, family responsibility, gender identity and expression, genetic information, marital status, matriculation, national origin, personal appearance, political affiliation, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, veteran status and other factors prohibited by law. Georgetown University recognizes and accepts its responsibilities to act in accordance with the University’s Affirmative Action Plan, federal laws, and regulations and the District of Columbia Human Rights Act. Therefore, the University has established these grievance procedures for the Office of Institutional Diversity, Equity, and Affirmative Action (“IDEAA”) to review, investigate, and resolve alleged violations of the University’s Equal Opportunity and Non-Discrimination in Employment and Non Discrimination in Education Policies, Affirmative Action Policy and the Policy Statement on Harassment, which includes sexual harassment. These procedures cover allegations of unlawful discrimination and harassment in employment on the basis of age, color, disability, family responsibilities, gender identity and expression, genetic information, marital status, matriculation, national origin, personal appearance, political affiliation, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, veteran status and other factors prohibited by law. These procedures also cover allegations of unlawful discrimination and harassment in education on the basis of disability, national origin, race, religion, sex and other factors prohibited by law.