DGSOM is committed to maintaining an environment where there is mutual respect between graduate students, postdoctoral scholars, faculty mentors, peers, and all members of the research and education community.  Mistreatment of trainees is unacceptable and inconsistent with our commitment to zero tolerance for mistreatment of any kind, and of any form of retaliation against those who report.  Here you will find definitions and examples of mistreatment, procedures and avenues for reporting, and resources from the Committee on Learning Environment Oversight (CLEO).

 

Mistreatment Incident Reporting Form

Definitions and Examples of Mistreatment in Research Training

The Association of American Medical Colleges defines mistreatment as behavior that shows disrespect for the dignity of others and unreasonably interferes with the learning process. It can take many forms, and includes any behavior that humiliates, degrades, demeans, intimidates, or threatens an individual or a group. To violate this policy, the behavior should be such that a reasonable person would find that it creates inhospitable working or learning conditions.

Mistreatment can be defined, but is not limited to the following domains and examples:

Physical Mistreatment
Definition Any behavior that involves physical harm, threat of physical harm or imposition of physical punishment.
Examples
Not Mistreatment Mistreatment
A mentor grabs a student’s arm to stop them from touching a hot autoclave without gloves on. A mentor grabs a student’s arm to stop them from leaving a heated conversation.
A research tech reprimands a postdoc for handling an animal in a way that causes distress. A labmate is known to slam books, punch walls or physically block people from exiting doorways when in a disagreement.
A mentor realizes a trainee’s samples are contaminated and destroys them to prevent further spread. A trainee finds that their personal property has been deliberately damaged or destroyed by a lab member.
A mentor tells a trainee that if they do not follow safety policy, they could lose access to performing experiments in the laboratory. A mentor tells a trainee, “If you keep this up, I’m going to wring your neck and throw you out of the lab.”

 

Abusive Expression
Definition Includes spoken, written, visual, or nonverbal actions directed at another person that are outside the range of commonly accepted expressions of disagreement, disapproval, or critique in an academic culture and professional setting that respects free expression.
Examples
Not Mistreatment Mistreatment
The student is yelled at to “get out of the lab” by a research tech as they are cleaning up a spill of hazardous materials. A postdoc yells at a graduate student for “messing up their results.”
A mentor tells the trainee that they contaminated their plates, and instructs them to reinitiate the culture. A labmate makes fun of a trainee, calling them “incompetent” because they do not know how to run a gel.
A mentor gives a student feedback on how to improve their performance and it makes the student feel bad because they feel criticized and not appreciated for their efforts. A mentor speaks to a trainee in public or private in a way with intention to humiliate, “Did you even go to college?” “How did you get through your other rotations?”
A mentor is displeased with a trainee’s performance and is obviously upset. The trainee wants to discuss the situation now, but the mentor asks for a couple of hours to cool down before continuing. A mentor expresses displeasure with trainees by being non-responsive to requests for feedback and freezing them out of discussions.

 

Power Abuse
Definition Includes any abuse of authority or inappropriate actions, threats or retaliation in the exercise of authority, supervision, or guidance. This includes using trainee evaluation, grades, authorship or attribution in publications, and potential letters of recommendation as quid pro quo for behaviors.
Examples
Not Mistreatment Mistreatment
A new graduate student is in the lab for the first time and feels timid because they do not know where to be and what to do. A tech tells a student they can’t participate in an experiment, and says to the other members of the lab, “Students always mess up the results.”
After being given clear expectations at the beginning of their training, a trainee is asked to leave the room because they did not follow appropriate protocol when trying to obtain informed consent from a patient. A postdoc tells a graduate student that it is their job to keep lab notes for all of the postdoc’s projects.
The trainee stays in the lab late because there are experiments in progress to monitor and/or they have reserved shared equipment. A trainee is expected to work over 80 hours a week, and it is communicated to them that this will be the way to earn a positive letter of recommendation.
The student is asked to run down to the loading dock to pick up the lab supplies that were just delivered. A trainee is asked to pick up a mentor’s dinner or babysit their children in the office space.
A mentor tells a trainee that they would like them to review and present a paper at the lab meeting as a way to demonstrate their knowledge base and oral presentation skills. A mentee is threatened with a poor evaluation if they do not help the postdoc write a grant proposal.
Like other members of the lab, a trainee is assigned duties to help the lab with lab cleaning and maintenance, such as autoclaving supplies or stocking reagents. A trainee is singled out by being assigned lab cleaning and maintenance that hinders their ability to progress in their training compared to other lab trainees who are not assigned equivalent responsibilities.
On the first day of a new rotation, a lab member says to the new student, “You must be the newbie,” and then offers to help the student get settled. Trainees in the lab are all given nicknames by a senior postdoc that are demeaning and culturally inappropriate.
A mentor asks a postdoc to keep an eye on the new student in the lab, since they do not have a lot of experience with bench work. A mentor shares sensitive information about the trainee with others in the lab, without the trainee’s explicit permission.
A mentor asks a trainee to schedule their vacation so as not to interfere with a series of planned experiments. A mentor pressures a trainee not to take vacation because it shows a lack of dedication to research.
A mentor expects domestic trainees to submit federal fellowship applications, but does not have a similar expectation for international trainees. A mentor removes a trainee from a promising project because they have childcare responsibilities that require them to leave campus at 5pm on weekdays, even though they can meet project demands in that time frame.

 

Psychologic Cruelty
Definition Any malicious behavior that results in psychological pain and suffering.
Examples
Not Mistreatment Mistreatment
The trainee’s question is not answered because the mentor is concentrating on a critical portion of the technique they are demonstrating. A trainee’s questions are repeatedly ignored by the mentor when other students’ questions are answered.
The trainee had to eat lunch alone because the rest of the lab members were busy with other duties. The entire lab eats lunch together every day but it is made clear that one trainee is not invited, and is laughed at or ignored when they enter the room.
The student rotating with a department chair says he feels nervous about reporting to them since the they can “make or break” their career. A mentor tells a trainee that it is their goal to make them cry before the rotation is over.
A research tech makes an error when sharing a data result with a graduate student. When the student reports the result to their mentor, who knows otherwise, the mentor gets upset at the student. A labmate purposely gives a graduate student misinformation about their experimental results. The student then overhears the labmate laughing with another lab member about messing with him.

 

Sexual Harassment
Definition Sexual harassment is defined as unwelcome sexual advances, unwelcome requests for sexual favors, and other verbal, nonverbal, or physical conduct of a sexual nature when a person’s submission to such conduct is implicitly or explicitly made the basis for employment decisions, academic evaluation, grades or advancement, or other decisions affecting participation in a University program (quid pro quo), or when such conduct creates a hostile working environment
Examples
Not Mistreatment Mistreatment
A male researcher is asked not to go into an exam room because a female subject only wants a female to take her samples. A trainee is subjected to offensive sexist remarks or name calling while in the lab.
A student is asked by the lab manager to attend a farewell party at a local bar for the students graduating this year. A student is asked by a mentor to go out after hours to a bar “so they can discuss the student’s progress.”
A research project requires trainees to interview subjects about their sexual activity. A mentor asks a trainee invasive questions about their personal life and sex life, despite it clearly making the trainee uncomfortable.
A mentor uses photographs in a professional context to help train a student in sexing and breeding their animal subjects. Two lab mates share sexually explicit photos with each other, and think it is funny to flash them at unsuspecting lab members.
A mentor occasionally tells a trainee, “You look nice today.” A mentor touches a trainee in a way they find uncomfortable, inappropriate and sexualized.

 

Discrimination
Definition Any prejudicial treatment on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, gender, gender expression, gender identity, gender transition status, pregnancy, physical or mental disability, medical condition (cancer-related or genetic characteristics), genetic information (including family medical history), ancestry, marital status, age, sexual orientation, citizenship, or service in the uniformed services, including protected veterans.
Examples
Not Mistreatment Mistreatment
A trainee is asked to conduct the interview with a specific experimental subject because they speak their native language. A trainee is subjected to racist or ethnically offensive remarks or names about themselves or others.
A mentor praises a student’s facility with data analysis. A mentor attributes a student’s strong mathematical skills to their ethnicity, race or gender.
A mentor allows one trainee frequent breaks and a private space to accommodate their need to pump breastmilk. A mentor has different training expectations for trainees based on gender or gender presentation.
A mentor allows a pregnant trainee to swap responsibilities with another lab member, so the trainee can avoid handling substances potentially harmful to a developing child. A mentor asks his prospective female postdocs if they plan to start a family during their training.

Additional Resources/Options for Handling Mistreatment

Concern about potential violations of the DGSOM Policy Mistreatment may be handled by communication with various individuals, and trainees are strongly encouraged to formally report infractions. Options include, but are not are limited to the following:

  1. Conversation (by the trainee or others) with any or all of the following:
    1. Individual(s) involved
    2. Others such as the Faculty Mentor, Home Area/PhD Program Director, or Department Chair
    3. Dr. Alex Bui, Graduate Programs in Bioscience Director and Assoc. Dean for Graduate and Postdoctoral Education
    4. Dr. Lynn Talton, Director of Bioscience Postdoctoral Affairs
  2. Mistreatment Incident Reporting Form – https://uclahs.fyi/MIRF
  3. Course Evaluations
  4. UCLA Equity, Diversity and Inclusion and Discrimination Prevention Office (https://equity.ucla.edu/report-an-incident/)
  5. UCLA Title IX Office (https://equity.ucla.edu/report-an-incident/)
  6. Other options can be found on the Graduate Programs in Bioscience Resources page (https://bioscience.ucla.edu/student-wellness-reporting-resources/)

Please note that University employees are mandated reporters and are required to inform the appropriate offices if they become aware that a trainee may have experienced conduct prohibited by the UC Sexual Violence and Sexual Harassment Policy or by the UC Nondiscrimination Policy Statement.

Trainees should also be aware of confidential resources available to them including:

  1. Office of the Ombuds (all trainees)
  2. Behavioral Wellness Center (BWC) (Graduate Students only)
  3. Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) (Graduate Students only)
  4. Staff and Faculty Counseling Center (Postdoctoral Scholars only)
  5. CARE Advocates (all trainees)

 

FAQs

Please visit the Committee on Learning Environment Oversight’s (CLEO) FAQs page which has been developed to address the most common questions about the Committee on Learning Environment Oversight (CLEO) and the process after mistreatment has been reported utilizing the Mistreatment Incident Report Form (MIRF).

Learn More & Contact Information

Please visit the Committee on Learning Environment Oversight’s (CLEO) page for additional details about the committees mission, leadership, and CLEO Reports. You can also contact CLEO at CLEO@mednet.ucla.edu should you have any questions.