Our Commitment

Welcome to a portal for reporting mistreatment, unprofessional behavior, or a learning environment concern in UNC School of Medicine biomedical research. This is one of several reporting mechanisms and resources available. It is designed as a complement to other relevant UNC and SOM offices, and this portal is governed by UNC policies and standards (link above). See the Reporting Options and Resources link for additional reporting options, for information about our requirements for cooperation with other responsible entities, and for information about confidential resources.

Every member of the research community has the right to work in a training environment free from mistreatment or inappropriate behavior and one that is conducive to professional and scientific growth.

Mistreatment can occur in person or virtually and includes – but is not limited to –purposeful humiliation; verbal abuse; threats or other forms of psychological mistreatment; and physical mistreatment, physical endangerment and/or physical harm. In a research environment, mistreatment may also mean unreasonable demands or expectations, lack of reasonable work schedule or conditions, and refused access to opportunities or resources. Documents outlining expectations in a research training environment for biomedical students and postdocs are accessible at the link above, “Community Expectations.” Reports of discrimination or harassment based on protected status, including sexual assault or violence, interpersonal violence, stalking, or failure to accommodate based on disability, religion, or pregnancy, should be made to the Equal Opportunity and Compliance Office.

The School of Medicine encourages all members of the research community to report incidents of mistreatment or concerning interactions, including chronic disrespect, even if you don’t want action to be taken at this time. If you are unsure if what you experienced or witnessed qualifies as mistreatment, we still encourage you to report it - when in doubt, report. Please note that this website is maintained by a third-party vendor, EthicsPoint, Inc. to allow you to make reports anonymously. Unless you identify yourself, your identity cannot be disclosed to the University. Should you choose to identify yourself, the University will keep your identity private; information will only be shared with others if allowed by law and University Policies. Information provided in this portal, including written responses, could be subject to a public records request under North Carolina public records law and the University Policy on Public Records Requests. However, names or other personally identifying information of University students or employees, are likely not subject to release per federal and state privacy laws. Notably, our intent is for the reports to be anonymous, so the data will not include any names unless participants voluntarily include names in their written responses.

Reports to this site are received by designated research training environment leaders (current members are listed on this School of Medicine website). You may contact them with questions, but note that they are designated Responsible Employees required to report certain types of complaints, including discrimination, harassment, sexual violence, interpersonal violence, and stalking. There are other advisors who are not under the same obligation (see Reporting Options and Resources for a list).

When you make a report, a member of the team will communicate through the reporting system for any needed clarification or additional information and to follow up with the general outcome. Our reporting team also coordinates with relevant UNC experts in human resources, EOC, and Title IX, and with campus police, and these offices may be required to investigate specific reports, discrimination or harassment based on a protected status. Reports also serve to inform leaders about patterns of mistreatment for the purpose of improving the overall research environment. See FAQs for more information about how we respond to reports.

Make a Report