Washington University regrets that a member of its medical faculty issued an email regarding Amendment 2, now widely circulated, that included inappropriate and mistaken comments about the medical condition of Cynthia Kramer, a candidate for public office. Ms. Kramer is a cancer survivor who received her medical care at Washington University and Siteman Cancer Center. The faculty member, Dr. William Harbour, is not one of Ms. Kramer’s physicians and was speaking about her condition without her permission. Although Dr. Harbour chose to use a Washington University email account to issue his statement, he was acting individually and his opinions in no way reflect a University position. As a not-for-profit, nonpartisan educational institution, Washington University’s facilities and resources may not be used to campaign for or against political candidates. University email accounts are intended to be used for business purposes. We extend an apology to Ms. Kramer regarding the hurtful comments that emanated from Dr. Harbour’s WUSM email account. As health care providers, we take seriously our commitment to protect the privacy of our patients, and to speak of their conditions only with their permission and always accurately.
Washington University supports Amendment 2.