Following the backlash, Lieberman was also removed from the post of Chief Psychiatrist at the Columbia University Irving Medical Center’s New York-Presbyterian Hospital.
The controversy originated from the professor’s insensitive retweet where he attempted to praise South Sudanese model Nyakim Gatwech. Lieberman seemed to have unknowingly shared the original tweet, which inaccurately claimed that Gatwech’s skin tone holds the record for being the darkest one ever recorded.
This issue sparked further controversy as Gatwech herself shared the tweet on her Instagram while clarifying the inaccuracy. Lieberman’s tweet, which was deleted later, was screenshotted and shared across social media.
Dr. Jeffrey Lieberman issues public apology
On February 20, Lieberman retweeted the original erroneous tweet regarding model Nyakim Gatwech’s complexion. In the quoted tweet, which has since been deleted, Lieberman wrote:
The former Columbia University psychiatry head’s usage of the word “freak” caused a lot of backlash online, which ultimately led to his suspension from his positions. Lieberman has reportedly deleted or deactivated his Twitter profile following the flak he received.
However, in one of the replies to the criticism, Dr. Jeffrey Lieberman said:
Furthermore, Dr. Jeffrey Lieberman also issued an apology to his colleagues via an email which was obtained by The New York Times. The 74-year-old addressed his email’s apology to the black community and women, whose sentiments he may have hurt. In the email, he wrote:
Meanwhile, Nyakim Gatwech told NBC that Lieberman’s comments were “disappointing” and “straight up racism.”
As of now, it is unclear if Lieberman will be returning to his future in the existing position. Besides being the psychiatry head at the university, Dr. Jeffrey Lieberman also served as the president of the American Psychiatric Association (APA) from 2013 to 2014.
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