US researcher vows to appeal after losing her disability discrimination suit
By 
Rebecca Trager2023-12-20T15:32:00
Concerns raised that jury’s decision might dissuade disabled researchers from asking for help, but HHMI says Vivian Cheung’s science was subpar
Vivian Cheung, an RNA biologist and human geneticist at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, has lost her employment discrimination claim against the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI). Cheung’s lawsuit alleged that HHMI had not renewed her funding because of her disability. She says that she will now appeal the jury’s finding against her.
Cheung has a rare genetic disorder that affects her peripheral vision and balance, and in 2015 she suffered a spinal cord injury that left her wheelchair-bound for a period. The jury’s unanimous verdict, which came on 14 December after an eight-day trial, was that this disability was not the basis of HHMI’s decision not to renew her funding.
There are concerns that this case could undermine efforts to include more disabled scientists in research institutions. However, HHMI maintains that Cheung’s science was simply not up to standard.