Feb. 17, 2021
On Thursday, the Tulane University School of Medicine in New Orleans dismissed physician Princess Dennar as the program director of its combined internal medicine and pediatrics residency program. She had been the first and only Black woman to be program director at Tulane’s medical school.
By Friday, the social media furor had begun.
The hashtag #DNRTulane, or “Do Not Rank Tulane,” flared on Twitter, referring to the match process medical students go through to express their preferred residency programs, as did #JusticeForDrDennar. Now, the outpouring of posts and petitions decrying the termination of Dennar’s position at Tulane is generating a national conversation about racial inequities and discrimination that physicians of color, especially underrepresented women of color, face in academic medicine.
We need Black doctors: Non-profit raises money for minorities in medical school Share Updated: 9:51 AM CST Feb 8, 2021 Share Updated: 9:51 AM CST Feb 8, 2021
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Show Transcript TO CHANGE THE FACE OF MEDICINE FOR THE FUTURE. IF THERE IS ONE THING THIS DOCTOR IS REALLY PASSIONATE ABOUT, IT’S MEDICINE. THE NAVY VETERAN RECEIVED HIS PHD IN MOLECULAR ONCOLOGY AND HE IS EXPANDING HIS MEDICAL KNOWLEDGE. HE IS ENROLLED IN THE M BA PROGRAM AND TO LANE UNIVERSITY. AND TO LANE UNIVERSITY. TWO LANE UNIVERSITY TULANE UNIVERSITY. HE SAYS THAT MESSAGE IS EVEN MORE IMPORTANT RIGHT NOW AS THE FIGHT TO END COVID-19 CONTINUES. THIS PANDEMIC ESSENTIALLY ACCENTUATED A PROBLEM THAT OUR COUNTRY HAS HAD FOR A VERY LONG TIME IN TERMS OF HEALTH DISPARITIES. HE IS DOING WHATEVER HE CAN TO SPREAD THE WORD. YOU KNOW THIS IS? NAH. WHAT IS IT. IT’S A MESSAGE TO EVERYONE. WE NEED MORE BLACK DOCTORS. HAVING BLACK DOCTORS WITH BLACK PATIENTS I
New Orleans native and Tulane alumna
ANNELIESE SINGH (NC ’91) returned to her hometown to become Tulane’s first Associate Provost for Diversity and Faculty Development. Singh, whose appointment was announced on April 22, will serve as the university’s inaugural chief diversity officer, sharing best practices in building diversity across campus and bolstering efforts to recruit, support and retain a diverse faculty. In addition, she will join the School of Social Work as a full professor, with a joint affiliation with Tulane’s Department of Psychology.
“I join our Black students, faculty and staff in affirming that racism has no place at our university or in our community. In recent years, we have made progress together toward a more diverse, equitable and inclusive Tulane. But, as recent events have illuminated, we must do more. We must commit to making Tulane a more inclusive and supportive home for all.