NYU Langone cancer center director sues over his firing

Nov 20, 2023

PROGRAMMING NOTE: We’ll be off for Thanksgiving this Thursday and Friday but back to our normal schedule on Monday, Nov. 27.

Beat Memo

A fight between NYU Langone Health and the well-known director of its prestigious Perlmutter Cancer Center is spilling out into the open.

Benjamin Neel filed suit against the health system Friday because of its decision to terminate his contract over several social media posts about the Israel-Hamas war that he reshared on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Neel alleges he was “unceremoniously dumped” without due process and in violation of city and state human rights laws against religious discrimination, according to his complaint in New York County Supreme Court.

“The re-posts, which Dr. Neel made as a private citizen and are in no way associated with NYU or PCC, are objectively tepid and muted compared to the thousands if not hundreds of thousands of opinions currently circulating on social media sites,” the complaint said.

He isn’t the only New York City doctor to face discipline over social media usage since Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack.

NYU Langone also moved to terminate a resident physician at its Long Island hospital after he reposted a message encouraging Palestinian resistance on his private Instagram account.

Referencing that incident, Neel argued he was “offered up as a sacrificial lamb” so the health system could “feign impartiality in its efforts to curb political and religious expression,” since his posts criticized pro-Palestinian demonstrators.

A NYU Langone spokesperson defended the decision to terminate Neel’s contract.

“Several times since last month, we reminded all employees of our high standards, as well as our Code of Conduct and Social Media Policy. Nonetheless, Dr. Ben Neel, as a leader at our institution, disregarded these standards in a series of public social media posts and later locked his Twitter/X account,” Steve Ritea, senior director of media relations for NYU Langone Health, said in a statement.

IN OTHER NEWS:

— One Brooklyn Health’s board of trustees voted Friday to appoint Sandra Scott, the executive director of Brookdale Medical Center, as the system’s interim CEO. She will assume the role in January while the board conducts a national search for a permanent chief executive.

Scott will succeed CEO LaRay Brown, whose contract the board voted earlier this year not to renew, POLITICO previously reported. The change in leadership sparked an outcry by members of the union 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East.

“1199SEIU is deeply dismayed that One Brooklyn Health (OBH) board leadership continues to ignore caregiver and community voices regarding the direction of the health system,” the union said in a statement. “The OBH board owes it to patients, caregivers, and the community to be more collaborative stewards of this critical health system.”

— City and state officials released a master plan Friday for the previously announced Science Park and Research Campus planned for Kips Bay and announced the launch of a community task force led by the city Economic Development Corp. to shape the project.

The project will transform an entire Manhattan city block into a life sciences hub with dry and wet lab space, translational research facilities, a new public high school to prepare students for careers in health care and sciences, a forensic pathology training center, an advanced nursing practice center and a Bellevue Hospital outpatient health clinic.

ON THE AGENDA:

— Monday at 9 a.m. The NYC Health + Hospitals board of directors’ medical & professional affairs/IT committee meets, followed by the strategic planning and capital committees.

— Monday, 3-5 p.m. The Daniel’s Law Task Force hosts its first stakeholder meeting.

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What you may have missed

— The City Council voted Wednesday to reinstate a $3 million biotechnology tax credit, which enabled small life sciences companies to offset costs related to research and development until it lapsed at the start of 2019.

To qualify, companies must have no more than 100 full-time employees — at least 75 percent of whom are in the city — and gross revenues must have been under $20 million in the most recent tax year, among other criteria.

— The state Department of Health has notched a net increase in its workforce so far this year, including notable gains among direct patient care roles, Health Commissioner James McDonald told POLITICO in an exclusive interview. Rebuilding the department from a Covid-era exodus has been a priority for McDonald during his first year in the role.

“I'm seeing people come to the department with energy, with enthusiasm, with a sense of excitement and a sense of purpose — and seeing a lot of young people come to the department as well,” he said.

Odds and Ends

NOW WE KNOW — Marijuana-processing workers may be at high risk of developing asthma.

TODAY’S TIP — Replace one daily serving of processed meats with one of whole grains, nuts or beans to lower your risk of cardiovascular issues.

STUDY THIS — Cutting 1 teaspoon of salt from your diet each day could lower your blood pressure just as much as medication, new research suggests.

What We're Reading

— New Social Security report shows growing overpayment problem tops $23B, KFF Health News reports.

— Flu activity is gaining steam in the U.S. as vaccination rates lag, STAT reports.

— Extra fees drive assisted-living profits, The New York Times reports.

Around POLITICO

— FDA advisers pan the benefit of proposed chronic cough drug, Lauren Gardner reports.

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