25 November 2024
Dear University of Toronto President, Prof. Meric Gertler,
CC: Dean of the School of Graduate Studies Prof. Joshua Barker
CC: Prof. Laurie Ailles, Chair, Department of Medical Biophysics, University of Toronto
CC: Prof. J Jean Chen, My Advisor (Status only Professor at UofT Department of Medical Biophysics, Senior Scientist at Baycrest Hospital, Toronto, ON, Canada)
CC: Prof. Kamil Uludag, My Co-advisor (Status only Professor at UofT Department of Medical Biophysics, Senior Scientist at University Health Network, Toronto, ON, Canada),
I am writing this letter as a follow-up to my many earlier letters to you and other offices at UofT, in which I clearly outlined my situation, requests, and complaints. These letters have all been left unanswered, which is why this issue has not been resolved as of today.
Prof. Joshua Barker (Dean, School of Graduate Studies), who is the reason that I chose UofT to do my Graduate work as a Scholars at Risk International, PhD student that he personally had awarded me, is also the one who formally appointed an investigator to investigate my case. His own investigator concluded my full innocence and concluded I must not be dismissed after a rare illness as this was found to be an unfair decision without justification. Despite this, he still violated his own investigator’s conclusion and confirmed it. Now he has sent a new letter to UofT students, blaming me for insisting on my right to be able to continue after my diagnosis, in a new cycle that has been repeated many times, reaching us to this point.
You can see my non-confrontational, polite petition here (http://www.chng.it/QyJLR8Kb ), which thousands of students and faculty members at UofT have signed already. Please also see my point-by-point response to Prof. Joshua Barker’s letter on August 8th, 2024 here: (https://sites.google.com/view/response-to-auguest-8th-letter/home ).
I have clarified why Prof. Barker is dishonest in his narrative about my story, my requests, my situation, and my reason for constantly asking for help that can be provided only in a few minutes by him and my advisors if they truly want me to have a way forward after illness. Prof. Barker is dishonest in his claims that he has provided me “viable” help that allows me to continue with illness and given my situation and also in his claim that my complaints have been addressed. He also prefers not to mention at all,how my story started and what is the source of all this and who should be blamed for that. He prefers not to mention who has stopped me from being able to continue my PhD despite my illness and formally proven innocence that his own investigator concluded (Prof. Jean Chen is the ONE and ONLY person who has stopped me, so even without her, I can’t continue), and Prof. Barker implies that I am not allowed to insist on my right to be able to continue after illness and my right that my concerns must be addressed, while my own advisors had sworn to me to provide me this chance.
I can assure you, Prof. Gertler, that I haven’t respected anyone in my entire life as much as my advisor and co-advisor. I can also assure you that being ill with a too serious, debilitating, and scary progressive disability, the last thing I want is to confront anyone. Even if I wanted to (I don’t), my advisors, whom I respect too much, are the last persons on earth that I want to confront. You must also know they were very proud of me, and she is the only one who had assured me in writing and verbally, tens of times before sending me for treatment that she would find a way for me to continue if there was any way for me. As I trusted her, I left Toronto, as I was sure she was kind enough to support me to continue.
Yet, I care about getting my PhD with this illness more than anything. This is what my own advisors and UofT had sworn to help me achieve by telling me this is their moral and professional obligation. I need help that only my own advisors and SGS can provide, and no one else can, given my very extraordinary situation. Given that all I am asking for is within my rights to ask, as my own advisors literally testified to these as well, I won’t ever stop asking for an explanation and for this help. I will continue to ask for addressing my concerns and for support that allows me to continue, as it takes minutes for you and my advisors to provide and you already promised!
From the first day, many people had told me, ranging from the SGS Vice-Dean of Students (Prof. Charmaine Williams) to UofT Ombudsperson to even UTGSU members, that the logical next step for me is to sue my advisors and even the University of Toronto itself for discrimination (regardless of the outcome) or talk to media about this (regardless of the outcome). If you want to know why I didn’t do it and kept sending emails asking for support from my advisors, I can tell you why. This is because for a very fragile student in the most exceptional situation with this scary illness like me, you (UofT) and them (my advisors) are all the support that I have, and I was never mentally and emotionally able to find the strength in myself to confront people I like and respect the most in this world who I know were also proud of me and had sworn to find a way for me with compassion. It still remains impossible for me even believe,my advisors may even consider seeing me wasted with this scary illness in my wheelchair but not help me for only a few minutes to have a way forward, that can be with or without them.
Anyhow, despite my utmost respect for you and for my advisors, I want you to either kindly agree with a full investigation into my case, my complaints, and my request in an independent way (not by a UofT office) so my questions get a response and UofT community be informed or provide a means so I can get a few minutes of support from SGS and my advisors that allows me to continue after my illness. The second solution is far easier and far more humane.
Regards,
Mahdi
More CCs:
University of Toronto Leadership
Rotman Research Insitute Leadership/Scientists/Trainees
Department of Medical Biophysics Leadership/ Faculties/Students
Many scientists outside UofT that know my advisors and some of them had agreed to meddle for me upon my request
UTSGU/MBPGSA