A doctor who was fired from Duke University for criticizing the institution's "pledge to left-wing ideology" speaks out.

An emergency room physician at Duke University's health system was dismissed following his opposition to the institution's DEI initiatives.

Dr. Kendall Conger, who had worked at Duke Raleigh Hospital for nearly a decade, reacted to the university's 2021 pledge against racism by expressing his view that it was somewhat radical and decided to speak out.

Conger told Planet Chronicle Digital that the pledge was not so much about improving medicine but rather left-wing ideology. As a result, he felt that staying silent would imply approval of the pledge's contents.

Conger, who stated that he believes DEI stands for "didn't earn it," opposed the idea that racism is a public health crisis, particularly because the statement claimed it was "based on science."

I found it strange because it was unfamiliar to me. I didn't know where they got that information from. Although I searched a bit and couldn't find it, I decided to let them defend their statement since they made it.

Duke Health did not provide clinical or medical data to Conger, who requested it to back up his statement. Instead, the university offered social science data.

Conger said, "I thought to myself, 'Social science data?' We have social science data, but we're a clinical institution, and you guys made what seemed to be a clinical statement. They said, 'Well, maybe we could have worded that better,' but they didn't change anything or let anyone know."

The Duke Health anti-racism pledge was not fully addressed by Conger, who stated that the institution declined to provide an explanation for prioritizing equity over equality.

According to Conger, our country's vision statement is centered on individual equality, not on group outcomes being equal, which is the definition of equity.

Duke Health stopped engaging with Conger's questions because he shared their answers with others in the community. He expressed his concerns with fellow doctors, friends and family, as well as in a scathing public editorial.

In May 2023, the James G. Martin Center for Academic Renewal, a nonprofit organization focused on enhancing higher education, published an article written by him titled "Duke Health’s Antiracist ‘Pledge’ Is Not Guided by Science."

In the end, Conger thinks Duke Health was reluctant to publicly defend its commitment.

Conger said that they eventually terminated him, stating that he had been opposing their left-wing ideology, despite not doing anything ethically or medically wrong.

Duke Health did not immediately respond to a series of questions.

A termination memo from Duke Raleigh Hospital stated that he was "terminated without cause" and his employment would end on June 30, 2024.

The memo, reviewed by Planet Chronicle Digital, stated that we believe your behavior is negatively affecting the emergency physician team, which could jeopardize the care of patients. As a result, we have decided not to renew your contract for emplacement.

Conger doesn’t believe racism is a problem in medicine.

For every patient they encounter, everyone is striving to provide the best possible care. No surgeon wants to be responsible for a fatal outcome, regardless of their race. Such a situation reflects poorly on them, and nobody desires to have negative outcomes for any of their patients.

Since Duke University stopped prioritizing merit, Conger, who noticed a decline in the caliber of medical students shadowing him at the hospital, is now seeking a new job opportunity that doesn't prioritize DEI.

""I'm relieved that I have a few options to consider that don't align with that ideology," he stated."

Planet Chronicle Digital’s Kiersten Harder contributed to this report.