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Graduate students, faculty, and alumni from New York University’s Grossman School of Medicine said Wednesday, a biologist who faced the school’s sexual harassment allegations, Dr. He organized a march to protest a report that he might hire David Sabatini.

At least 200 people lined up along First Avenue in front of New York University Medical Center, chanting slogans such as “No means no” and “No to Sabatini.” Dr. They said they were betrayed and confused by the possibility that Sabatini could attend their school. Reported on Science.org.

“I hope he doesn’t get hired,” said Grant Hussey, a graduate student in medical school. “The pass record is on.”

54-year-old Dr. Sabatini is a well-known biologist best known for discovering the mTOR protein, which regulates cell growth in animals as a graduate student. In a statement, she said the sexual harassment allegations were false and declined to comment on potential employment at NYU.

Dr. “As I have consistently argued from the beginning, I differ sharply from the way this issue has been characterized and intend to break the record and defend my integrity,” Sabatini said.

Last August, Dr. Sabatini went on administrative leave at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where she runs a research lab through the Whitehead Biomedical Research Institute, following an investigation into allegations of sexual harassment against her. from the university – found that the institute violated its sexual misconduct policy.

That same day, Dr. Sabatini also resigned from the Whitehead Institute and was fired by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, which funded his work at MIT.

He resigned from MIT earlier this month after three faculty members recommended that his term be revoked. letter to faculty From the head of MIT L. Rafael Reif and Obtained by The Boston Globe.

In the letter, Dr. Reif said that faculty members have reviewed the allegations and that Dr. He wrote that Sabatini had found that the school had violated its policy on consensual romantic relationships at work. He also had concerns about his “unprofessional” behavior with lab members.

At the protest, Megan Kirchgessner, a postdoctoral researcher in the medical school, said she was disappointed that the school was considering hiring someone facing sexual misconduct charges while the role could have been offered to someone with an underrepresented background in science.

Dr. “It was kind of a cynical reality check moment,” Kirchgessner said.

Deborah DeLair, a professor in the medical school, Dr. He said hiring Sabatini would go against the school’s policies on sexual misconduct.

“The rules should apply to everyone, even if you are a well-known researcher,” he said. “You can’t say one thing and then do something else.”

A few faculty members wrote to the dean of the medical school and the vice dean, calling them Dr. He urged Sabatini not to hire him. The letter, obtained by The New York Times, said such a move could profoundly affect the school’s reputation. On Wednesday, it was signed by nearly 90 faculty members.

“While we understand that there are legal proceedings still pending and the public does not yet have all the facts, we are concerned that this recruitment will signal a policy change that conflicts with our commitment to provide a respectful educational environment, a culture. “Respect for women and zero tolerance for abuse.”

Dafna Bar-Sagi, vice dean of the medical school, said in a statement that management is considering the allegations and will not make a hiring decision that “deviates” from the school’s policies.

Dr. Bar-Sagi, “Dr. “We’re looking closely at Sabatini’s case because it’s clear that many aspects of his departure from MIT and the Whitehead Institute were never publicly reviewed.” “Also, dozens of Dr. Sabatini’s colleagues and colleagues shared with us their conflicting views on the investigation and its outcome. However, we take the concerns we have from our faculty and trainees very seriously.”

Dr. It was not immediately clear what position Sabatini was considering or what stage the recruitment process had reached.

In October 2021, Dr. Sabatini filed a lawsuit against the Whitehead Institute and her accuser, a former colleague, alleging that she was wrongfully accused of sexual harassment by her colleague, whom she said she had a consensual relationship with.

The accuser, in December, was Dr. She filed a counterclaim, alleging that Sabatini had forced her to have sex, had created a “toxic and sexually explicit lab environment”, and had “groomed” her while she was still a graduate student while mentoring her. he is.

A few med school students and staff standing outside NYU on Wednesday, Dr. He said that if Sabatini was hired, they would not attend his seminars and would avoid his school functions.

Dr. “We’re still at the point where we hope we can get our voices heard enough before this really ends,” Kirchgessner said.