Rupa Marya Explained

Rupa Marya
Honorific Suffix:M.D.
Education:Georgetown University School of Medicine
Website:https://rupamarya.org/
Profession:Doctor, writer, activist, musician
Field:Hospitalist, social justice
Work Institutions:UCSF School of Medicine
Notable Works:

Rupa Marya is a doctor, activist, musician and writer based in San Francisco. She is a professor of Medicine at the UCSF School of Medicine[1] and co-author of the book (with Raj Patel).[2]

Early life

Marya was born in California to immigrant Indian parents. Her childhood was spent in the US, France, and India.[3] She attended the University of California San Diego, earning degrees in theater and molecular biology, before attending medical school at Georgetown University. It was during her residency at UCSF that she began writing and performing music.[4]

Activism

Marya has said her sense of justice was awakened in childhood as she witnessed class differences in India, and learned about colonization and genocide perpetrated against Native Americans in the United States.[5] She is involved in numerous organizations working at the intersection of social justice and health, including the Do No Harm Coalition[6] and Deep Medicine Circle.[7] She was recognized in 2021 with the Women Leaders in Medicine Award by the American Medical Student Association. She was a reviewer of the American Medical Association's Organizational Strategic Plan to Embed Racial Justice and Advance Health Equity. In 2019, Marya was among the physicians appointed by Governor Newsom to the Healthy California for All Commission.[8] [9]

Marya has been vocal on social media and in her capacity as a medical professional regarding the violation of Palestinian human rights.[10] For example, after Dr. Avromi Kana sent an email to hospital staff questioning a cease-fire resolution, Marya publicly described this email as an “expression of anti-Arab hate” that prompted doctors of South Asian and North African descent “to say they do not feel safe in his presence.”[11]

Marya has faced intense backlash after posting on social media about, for example, the impact of Zionism on health care and an "impediment to health equity". Marya, herself an expert in decolonial theory, described Zionism as a “supremacist, racist ideology.”[12] Senator Scott Wiener and UCSF publicly labeled these posts as antisemitic, leading to a surge in online threats against Marya, including threats of death and sexual violence. As a result, the Center for Protest Law and Litigation has filed suit to obtain public records of communication regarding Marya's posts between Weiner, UCSF and the Helen Diller Family Foundation, the school's largest donor as well a donor to the pro-Israeli group Canary Mission.[13] [14] The university initially placed Marya on paid leave pending an investigation into her social media posts, but later reinstated her clinical care responsibilities while maintaining her ban from campus and the hospital.[15]

Music

She is the composer and front-woman of the band Rupa & the April Fishes[16] and was a lead plaintiff in the lawsuit that brought the song "Happy Birthday to You" back to the public domain.[17] [18]

Rupa & the April Fishes' debut album, "Extraordinary Rendition", reflects on the societal impact of the September 11 attacks, while her subsequent album, "Este Mundo," draws from her interactions with undocumented immigrants facing severe health challenges.[19] In "Este Mundo," Rupa's lyrics explore themes of longing, loss, and love, maintaining a thoughtful and intimate perspective.[20] Her music incorporates influences from jazz, tango, klezmer, Latin American, and Balkan music.[21]

Controversy

In 2024, Marya was accused by Sen. Scott Wiener of San Francisco of making antisemitic and inflammatory comments on her twitter account.[22] Marya was placed on paid leave pending an investigation.[23]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Rupa Marya, MD Department of Medicine . 2024-07-17 . medicine.ucsf.edu.
  2. News: Prasad . Aarathi . 2021-08-17 . Inflamed by Rupa Marya and Raj Patel review – modern medicine’s racial divide . 2024-07-22 . The Guardian . en-GB . 0261-3077.
  3. Web site: del Barco . Mandalit . The Cross-Cultural Travels of a Singing Doctor . npr.org . National Public Radio . 24 September 2024 . 13 April 2014.
  4. Web site: Rupa Marya, MD (panelist bio) . National Health Equity Grand Rounds . 24 September 2024 . November 2023.
  5. Web site: Schatzman . Oralia . A Conversation with Rupa Marya, Assistant Clinical Professor . UCSF Health . UCSF Hospital . 24 September 2024.
  6. Web site: About Us . 2024-07-17 . Do No Harm Coalition . en.
  7. Web site: Deep Medicine Circle . 2024-07-17 . Deep Medicine Circle . en-US.
  8. Web site: Rupa Marya, MD Department of Medicine . 2024-09-24 . medicine.ucsf.edu.
  9. Web site: Governor Newsom Announces Healthy California for All Commission . Governor Gavin Newsom . 24 September 2024 . 18 December 2019.
  10. Web site: Valdez . Jonah . 2024-11-19 . San Francisco’s Biggest Hospital System: Don’t Talk About Palestine . 2024-12-04 . The Intercept . en-US.
  11. Web site: Knight . Heather . 24 June 2024 . In San Francisco, Doctors Feud Over 'Do No Harm' When It Comes to War Protests . 24 September 2024 . The New York Times.
  12. Web site: Valdez . Jonah . 2024-11-19 . San Francisco’s Biggest Hospital System: Don’t Talk About Palestine . 2024-12-04 . The Intercept . en-US . In her social media posts in January, Marya, an expert in decolonial theory, questioned the impacts of Zionism as “a supremacist, racist ideology” on health care and drew immediate criticism from pro-Israel colleagues and Democratic state Sen. Scott Wiener..
  13. Web site: 2018-10-03 . Canary Mission Blacklist Funded By Jewish Federation . 2024-12-04 . The Forward . en.
  14. Web site: Valdez . Jonah . 2024-11-19 . San Francisco’s Biggest Hospital System: Don’t Talk About Palestine . 2024-12-04 . The Intercept . en-US.
  15. Web site: Valdez . Jonah . 2024-11-19 . San Francisco’s Biggest Hospital System: Don’t Talk About Palestine . 2024-12-04 . The Intercept . en-US . The following month, the university placed her on paid leave and suspended her ability to practice medicine pending an investigation into the post. The university has since reinstated her ability to give clinical care, but she remains banned from campus, including the hospital where she worked..
  16. News: Hix . Lisa . 2006-07-20 . Rupa and the April Fishes . 2024-07-22 . San Francisco Chronicle.
  17. Web site: Rahman . Abid . 2015-09-23 . Plaintiff Who Challenged "Happy Birthday" Copyright "Screamed With Joy" at Ruling . 2024-07-17 . The Hollywood Reporter . en-US.
  18. Web site: Marya v. Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., 131 F. Supp. 3d 975 Casetext Search + Citator . 2024-07-17 . casetext.com.
  19. Web site: Gilbert . Andrew . 2009-11-01 . A delicate balancing act . 2024-12-04 . Los Angeles Times . en-US . While her hit 2008 debut album, “Extraordinary Rendition,” features songs written in response to the climate of fear following the Sept. 11 attacks, much of the material on “Este Mundo” flows from her experience caring for undocumented immigrants who ended up in the hospital with dire medical conditions..
  20. Web site: Gilbert . Andrew . 2009-11-01 . A delicate balancing act . 2024-12-04 . Los Angeles Times . en-US . Judging from her new songs on “Este Mundo,” Rupa has found a delicate balance. Rather than polemical broadsides detailing her position on immigration policy, her lyrics pose intimate questions exploring universal themes of longing, loss and love..
  21. Web site: Gilbert . Andrew . 2009-11-01 . A delicate balancing act . 2024-12-04 . Los Angeles Times . en-US . Her evolving creative vision has won converts across the Bay Area’s inventive acoustic music scene, attracting musicians steeped in jazz, tango, klezmer, Latin American and Balkan traditions..
  22. Web site: Grimes . Katy . 30 September 2024 . UCSF Med School Professor Claims Med Students are Triggered by Israeli Student . 13 November 2024 . California Globe.
  23. Web site: Asimov . Nanette . 23 September 2024 . Tensions ignite at UCSF after doctor is accused of targeting Israeli student on social media . https://archive.today/20240926201345/https://www.sfchronicle.com/sf/article/ucsf-doctor-israeli-student-social-media-19787105.php . 26 September 2024 . San Francisco Chronicle.

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