An employee of Vanderbilt University and Vanderbilt University Medical Center is suing the university and VUMC for discrimination and retaliation based on her gender and sexual orientation.
Plaintiff Dr. Ginger Holt is a gay orthopedic oncology surgeon and medical professor who says in a court filing that she “has been consistently held to a higher standard than her male colleagues, been removed from a role she held for years as Program Director and Vice Chair of Education, and had her salary cut in half.”
“All of these decisions were made by her straight male supervisor and were done because of Dr. Holt’s sex, sexual orientation, and complaints of discrimination on behalf of herself and female residents,” the complaint continues.
Holt is suing Vanderbilt University and VUMC on the grounds of sex discrimination and retaliation based on the Tennessee Human Rights Act and Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972.
The lawsuit, filed in Nashville federal court this week, states that Holt served 13 years at Vanderbilt as a program director of the orthopedic residency program and nine years as the program’s vice chair of education. During that time, according to the suit, Holt helped enhance the program’s reputation and increased diversity within the department by bringing on more women employees. Allegedly, that began to change after Dr. Rick Wright, a straight man, was named chair of the department.
The filing details instances of the alleged discrimination and retaliation, including complaints, negative feedback and threats to Holt’s job despite indications of positive performance. A 2021 letter from Wright acknowledged Holt’s professional skills but accused her of “‘creating an environment of inequity and harassment.’” The filing addresses this: “Due to her advocacy and speaking out about inequity, she is being accused of inequity by a white male in a predominately male department.” The suit also claims that Wright indicated a pro-male bias, that the department has only hired male surgical faculty members since he became chair, and that he “told Dr. Holt on more than one occasion that ‘orthopaedic surgery is just different for women, it’s different for you.’” Wright was recently appointed Vanderbilt University Medical Center’s new chief medical officer.
The filing notes that Holt was not provided with specific guidance on how to address the alleged retaliation and discrimination, and that Vanderbilt employees conducted a “half-hearted investigation” on the matter that resulted in no found instances of retaliation or discrimination against her.
VUMC declined to comment on the pending litigation. University officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
“This was an absolute last resort for Dr. Holt, and she is absolutely sick that it came to this point,” says Holt’s attorney Heather Moore Collins. “Someone can be ignored and have their duties chipped away simply because they speak up, for only so long. Dr. Holt is dedicated to the VUMC community, but for a school and medical center that allegedly prides itself on diversity, it does not walk the talk, which is a shame. It is Dr. Holt’s dedication to VU and VUMC that drove her to take this step. At the end of the day, women, particularly women that have intersectional diversity, are still hitting barriers to opportunity, even in the most ‘progressive’ institutions.”
