Internists Decry Reports of Harassment of Public Health Officials

Statement attributable to:
Jacqueline W. Fincher, MD, MACP
President, American College of Physicians

Washington, DC (August 10, 2020) —The American College of Physicians (ACP) is concerned by reports that public health officials and experts across the country are being subject to harassment due to their recommendations on what should be done to combat the COVID-19 pandemic. ACP strongly opposes harassment, discrimination, and retaliation of any form of physicians, other medical professionals, scientists and scientific institutions. We are especially dismayed about stories that women physicians and experts are being disproportionately targeted, and subject to particularly violent threats. ACP also strongly opposes prejudice, discrimination, or harassment based on characteristics of personal identity, including gender. Health officials should not be subject to threats for merely doing their jobs, and no one should ever be subject to threats based on their personal characteristics or identity. 

ACP has called for decisions about fighting COVID-19 to be made using scientific expertise, based on the best available evidence. We continue to stand united with the health care community and its experts. 

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About the American College of Physicians

The American College of Physicians is the largest medical specialty organization in the United States with members in more than 145 countries worldwide. ACP membership includes 163,000 internal medicine physicians (internists), related subspecialists, and medical students. Internal medicine physicians are specialists who apply scientific knowledge and clinical expertise to the diagnosis, treatment, and compassionate care of adults across the spectrum from health to complex illness. Follow ACP on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

Contact: Jacquelyn Blaser, (202) 261-4572, jblaser@acponline.org