Hunter
11/10/24
An Iowa lawmaker is calling for the University of Iowa to fire a pediatric cardiology fellow after he posted a comment on X the lawmaker considered “disgusting.”
Dr. Mayank Sharma responded to a post that said, “stay mad, loser” with “Well, I hope you lose your kid in a school shooting, already you have nothing to lose, it won’t matter to you anyway! Prepare for your kid’s funeral.”
47th District State Representative Carter Nordman sent a letter to UI President Barbara Wilson calling for Sharma to be fired. He called the comments “repulsive, deeply unprofessional, and not representative of the world=class operations at UI Health Care.
Nordham called Sharma’s actions a violation of Iowa Administrative Code that prohibits disruptive behavior with threatening and contentious behavior that interferes with patient care or the effective functioning of health care staff.
Nordman also accused Sharma of suffering from “Trump Derangement Syndrome” and questioned his mental health.
KCRG TV reports Graham Piro, a fellow at the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, or FIRE, says the University shouldn’t fire Sharma, noting that Iowa lawmakers codified 1st-Amendment protections on college campuses.
The University Of Iowa released a statement saying they’re aware of the situation. They’ve also reached out to Representative Nordman, who says he’s confident in the University’s ability to handle the incident.