Former Dana-Farber researcher wins $50,000 in gender bias case

By Chelsea Conaboy, Globe Staff

A Suffolk Superior Court jury today awarded $50,000 to Lynn Hlatky of Wellesley, affirming the claim that she was fired in 2005 from her job as a cancer researcher at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute because of gender discrimination.

Hlatky was told that she was being let go because her research in radiation oncology did not align with the shifting goals of her department. She alleged that male colleagues who had less publishing experience and grant funding than she did were not asked to give up research that fell outside the stated goals.

Attorneys Kevin Peters and Lisa Arrowood said their client was adamant about going for a jury verdict rather than settling the case sooner because she wanted to make a point.

“Half of all brilliance is female, and that has to be recognized in academic medicine,” Peters said. “To her it was about vindication.”

The damages awarded were compensatory, meaning they were meant to replace what Hlatky lost in the firing. The jury chose not to award punitive damages, which are intended to deter similar actions in the future. Attorneys for Dana-Farber denied that gender discrimination was the cause of Hlatky’s firing.

“We are confident that we did not discriminate,” Steven R. Singer, senior vice president for communications, said in an e-mail. “We have worked extremely hard to advance the careers of women in research and across the leadership of Dana-Farber. While we are proud of the success we have had so far, we remain focused on providing a workplace that is inclusive, diverse and respectful.”

Among the evidence was a 2007 report prepared at the request of Dana-Farber President Dr. Edward Benz. The internal report found “virtually no women faculty in leadership positions.” All endowed professorships were held by men. Of the 47 full professors, six were women. Thirty-five percent of women employees versus 76 percent of men reported feeling respected at Dana-Farber.

The report recommended deliberate efforts to recruit and retain women and to create clearer policies for promoting all employees. A Dana-Farber spokesman said the report led to the creation of an office for faculty development. He could not immediately comment on how the staffing levels had changed since.

Hlatky had worked at Harvard-affiliated organizations since 1988. She went on to create the Center of Cancer Systems Biology at St. Elizabeth’s Medical Center.

Dana-Farber will be required to pay the $50,000 plus 78 percent interest and legal fees. Because the case has been ongoing since 2005, that could total as much as $500,000, Hlatky’s lawyers said.

This was the second significant decision this month regarding gender in academia. The Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination ruled June 1 that the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth must pay $364,000 and promote LuLu Sun, an associate professor of English, to full professor. Sun’s complaint alleged gender and racial discrimination.