Medical student controversy and firing
| Rupa Marya, MD @DrRupaMarya |
Med students at UCSF are concerned that a first year student from Israel is in their class. They're asking if he participated in the genocide of Palestinians in the IDF before matriculating into medical school in CA. How do we address this in our professional ranks?
In September 2024, Marya was suspended from her roles by UCSF after she sent out a social media post that was described by the university as "targeting" of students. [2] Marya had tweeted that medical students at USCF were concerned about the presence on campus of a first-year Israeli medical student because they may have been a member of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and therefore, could have been involved in Israeli war crimes in the Gaza war. [11] [12] [13] Due to conscription in Israel, every Israeli citizen over the age of 18 who is Jewish, Druze or Circassian must serve in the Israel Defense Forces, with some exceptions.
UCSF publicly labeled her posts as antisemitic, and the university suspended Marya for what it called "the targeting of students on social media based on their national origin". [2] Marya said her suspension was because of her "support for the liberation of Palestinians who are suffering genocide", and maintained that she was the victim of a targeted harassment campaign by pro-Israel groups. [14] Marya had previously faced backlash for criticizing the impact of Zionism on health care, having described it as an "impediment to health equity" and a "supremacist, racist ideology". [15] [11]
The university later reinstated Marya's clinical care responsibilities, while maintaining her ban from campus and the UCSF hospital. [11]
In May 2025, UCSF fired Marya. The following month, she filed two lawsuits against the university, alleging violations of freedom of speech and civil rights. [5] [16] [17] [18]
