Title IX Offices at Top United States Universities with Medical Centers: Staffing, Investigations and Transparency

Abstract

Background Sexual harassment pervades higher education and disproportionately impacts women in medicine. The Department of Education’s guidance related to Title IX, a federal civil rights law intended to protect against discrimination based on sex in educational programs or activities receiving federal financial assistance, was revised in 2020 to narrow the definition of sexual harassment and disallow a single investigator model. This added to the required tasks of already overburdened and under-resourced Title IX offices. Methods The current report documents characteristics of Title IX offices at leading universities with medical schools in the 2020-2021 academic year. Results Findings highlight a low number of staff managing sexual harassment complaints, with an average ratio of 2.99 staff per 10,000 people at the university. A small percentage of complaints were formally investigated, with only 4% at public universities and 11% at private universities. Findings also suggest a lack of transparency regarding the actual length of investigations, which was reported in only 20% of public reports. Conclusion Given the importance of trust that sexual harassment complaints will be handled in a timely and transparent manner, we suggest potential opportunities for universities to consider.