Univ. of Miami a ‘Vipers’ Nest’ of Bias, Ex-Surgery Chair Says

The University of Miami retaliated against and fired its department of surgery chair and surgeon-in-chief after she complained about being paid less than male department chairs, according to a lawsuit filed Wednesday.

Omaida Velazquez, the first Latin/Hispanic woman in the US to serve as surgeon-in-chief and head of a major academic surgery department at a medical school, described the university as a “vipers’ nest of race, gender, and national origin discrimination” in the complaint filed in the US District Court for the Southern District of Florida.

Velazquez served as the surgery department chair and surgeon-in-chief at the university from 2015 ...