PORTLAND, Ore — Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) has released the full report from the law firm it hired to investigate its workplace culture and potential shortcomings in handling employee complaints, outlining a series of "institutional culture challenges" and recommendations to address them.
OHSU hired former Attorney General Eric Holder and his Washington, D.C.-based firm Covington and Burling in response to a lawsuit in which a woman claimed she was repeatedly sexually harassed by a former anesthesiology resident and ignored by multiple superiors when she tried to report it. That lawsuit was later settled for $585,000.
The report finds problems with OHSU's diversity and inclusion efforts, turnover and lack of leadership in human resources and a lack of support for students and employees reporting misconduct. Covington's investigation found OHSU's complaint investigation procedures lack detail and were not implemented consistently, which has led to "employee dissatisfaction and disciplinary outcomes that are not always fully informed or effectively implemented."
The report quotes an OHSU HR employee as saying, “We’ve had no effective leader for a decade."
"We found that OHSU has appropriately committed itself to a path that encourages diversity, equity and inclusion and values appropriate conduct. We also determined that in the execution of these goals OHSU has challenges that it must overcome," Holder said in a statement about the investigation.
The report includes a number of recommendations for the university, including making misconduct policies clearer, strengthening accountability measures, protecting employees who report misconduct from retaliation and prioritizing fully staffing and streamlining human resources.
A spokesperson for OHSU said they anticipate the cost of the investigation will be approximately $6.5 million.
In a joint statement, OHSU President Dr. Danny Jacobs and Board Chair Wayne Monfries apologized to "anyone who has experienced inequitable treatment, discrimination, harassment, bullying, intimidation or retaliation while working or learning at OHSU." They promised to create "lasting changes," adding, "We cannot achieve our full potential as an institution or our duties and responsibilities until we have an environment where every member feels valued and can thrive."
Following the release of the Covington report, KGW spoke with Dr. Jacobs and Board Member Chad Paulson about the findings.
"None of the themes surprised me," Jacobs said, "but it was disappointing that there were so many incidents of those who participated, who felt like they hadn't been adequately supported.
"Like many institutions and other academic health centers, there are many issues that affect the workforce and often times those are cultural. The experiences that some of our members have felt need to be eliminated ... if there's just one person who's experienced that, that means we have work to do."
"For those folks who are brave enough to come forward and share their lived experiences, we thank them," Paulson said. "What they shared is going to allow us to move forward on a path to becoming the institution that we want to be."