UC Irvine Biased, Disabled Doctor Alleges

A former medical resident at UC Irvine accused the medical center Tuesday of discriminating against him and interfering with his career because he is visually impaired.

Dr. Pankaj Khemka, 28, of Orange, who has vision problems associated with being an albino, said he was charged with a series of “petty” violations this summer as an internal medicine resident, including being late to work a few times and practicing in the emergency room while wearing shorts.

He said at a news conference Tuesday that he believes the real issue is his disability, but he did not provide documentation. The violations mean that he did not receive credit for the last month of his three-year residency and thus could not take his board examinations in August, Khemka said.

A University of California attorney declined comment, saying university regulations prohibit discussing personnel matters.

Khemka’s accusations came at a news conference Tuesday afternoon arranged by his attorneys and a publicist, just before an administrative hearing was to begin on the violations. But the hearing was postponed for the day as attorneys for both sides tried unsuccessfully to work out a settlement.

Khemka has difficulty seeing things at a distance and must use glasses and a special scope under some circumstances, but he said his disability does not affect his performance as a physician.

Khemka, now doing a fellowship in infectious diseases at UCI, said he has spent the past 12 years at the school, first as an undergraduate, then as a medical student and resident. Until recently, he said, he always received superior evaluations as a resident.