In a lawsuit filed May 25, Sunil Hingorani, MD, PhD, director of Omaha-based University of Nebraska Medical Center’s Pancreatic Cancer Center of Excellence, accused UNMC and Nebraska Medicine of racial discrimination and retaliation.
Here are five things to know regarding the lawsuit:
- Dr. Hingorani was terminated from his clinical role in early 2026, though he still holds his directorship. According to the lawsuit, he was told he could no longer “be present at the Pancreatic Diseases Specialty Clinic outside of specific times when he was scheduled to see patients” in late 2024.
- In the lawsuit, Dr. Hingorani said his termination was a retaliatory response to concerns he had raised over the way UNMC and Nebraska Medicine handled $15 million in state funding.
- He said he experienced discrimination for his race and national origin, and that five other scientists of East Asian descent had been terminated in recent years.
- Dr. Hingorani is seeking reinstatement, compensatory damages, and a monetary judgment for lost wages and back pay.
- A health system spokesperson said in a statement shared with Becker’s: “While Nebraska Medicine and the University of Nebraska cannot comment on pending litigation, our organizations are proud of our strong national reputation for excellence in research, education and service to Nebraska, as well as to be counted as one of the safest academic medical centers in the country.”
Read the full lawsuit here.
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