Stanford Doctor Accused of Sex Harassment

Three weeks after a leading woman neurosurgeon described Stanford Medical School as a hotbed of sexism and quit her teaching job, the university brought misconduct charges Wednesday against a male professor at the medical school, alleging that he sexually harassed two female students.

Dr. Mark G. Perlroth, a 53-year-old cardiologist, faces a maximum discipline of one year’s suspension without pay, followed by a probationary period, if a faculty review panel upholds the charges brought against him by Stanford University President Donald Kennedy.

Perlroth, who has been with the medical school since 1965, strongly denied the allegations and said he would be vindicated. There are no criminal charges against Perlroth and no allegations of physical assault.

According to a Stanford statement, one female student alleged that Perlroth refused to consider her for a teaching assistantship in the just-completed school year because he was attracted to her. The woman said the professor pursued her by telephone, letters and in person. Another female student said the professor last year tried to steer a meeting in his office about grades into a conversation with sexual overtones.

Perlroth criticized the university for making the allegations public before the internal review process was completed. He suggested that Kennedy was taking action against him to draw attention from bad publicity at Stanford, including abuses of government research funds.

The charges come in the aftermath of the June 3 resignation of Dr. Frances Conley, one of the few female brain surgeons in the nation, who said she was tired of what she described as the sexist atmosphere at the school, where she had been a tenured professor for 10 years.

There is no direct link between the Conley resignation and the Perlroth matter, a Stanford spokesman said. David Korn, the medical school dean, said he was establishing a review of procedures dealing with sexual harassment.