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Rupa Marya

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Rupa Marya
M.D.
EducationGeorgetown University School of Medicine
Medical career
ProfessionDoctor, writer, activist, musician
FieldHospitalist, social justice
InstitutionsUCSF School of Medicine
Notable worksInflamed: Deep Medicine and the Anatomy of Injustice
Websitehttps://rupamarya.org/

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 Inflamed: Deep Medicine and the Anatomy of Injustice (with Raj Patel).[2]

Early life

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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

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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 as well as in her capacity as a medical professional regarding violations of Palestinian human rights.[10] After Dr. Avromi Kanal sent an email to hospital staff arguing against 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 faced intense backlash after posting on social media about, for example, the impact of Zionism on health care, having described it as an "impediment to health equity".[11][10] 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][10] 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.[14]

Music

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Marya is the composer and front-woman of the band Rupa & the April Fishes[15] and was a lead plaintiff in the lawsuit that brought the song "Happy Birthday to You" back to the public domain.[16][17]

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.[18] In "Este Mundo," Rupa's lyrics explore themes of longing, loss, and love, maintaining a thoughtful and intimate perspective.[19] Her music incorporates influences from jazz, tango, klezmer, Latin American, and Balkan music.[20]

References

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  1. ^ "Rupa Marya, MD | Department of Medicine". medicine.ucsf.edu. Retrieved 2024-07-17.
  2. ^ Prasad, Aarathi (2021-08-17). "Inflamed by Rupa Marya and Raj Patel review – modern medicine's racial divide". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2024-07-22.
  3. ^ del Barco, Mandalit (13 April 2014). "The Cross-Cultural Travels of a Singing Doctor". npr.org. National Public Radio. Retrieved 24 September 2024.
  4. ^ "Rupa Marya, MD (panelist bio)" (PDF). National Health Equity Grand Rounds. November 2023. Retrieved 24 September 2024.
  5. ^ Schatzman, Oralia. "A Conversation with Rupa Marya, Assistant Clinical Professor". UCSF Health. UCSF Hospital. Retrieved 24 September 2024.
  6. ^ "About Us". Do No Harm Coalition. Retrieved 2024-07-17.
  7. ^ "Deep Medicine Circle". Deep Medicine Circle. Retrieved 2024-07-17.
  8. ^ "Rupa Marya, MD | Department of Medicine". medicine.ucsf.edu. Retrieved 2024-09-24.
  9. ^ "Governor Newsom Announces Healthy California for All Commission". Governor Gavin Newsom. 18 December 2019. Retrieved 24 September 2024.
  10. ^ a b c Valdez, Jonah (2024-11-19). "San Francisco's Biggest Hospital System: Don't Talk About Palestine". The Intercept. Retrieved 2024-12-04.
  11. ^ a b Knight, Heather (24 June 2024). "In San Francisco, Doctors Feud Over 'Do No Harm' When It Comes to War Protests". The New York Times. Retrieved 24 September 2024.
  12. ^ Valdez, Jonah (2024-11-19). "San Francisco's Biggest Hospital System: Don't Talk About Palestine". The Intercept. Retrieved 2024-12-04. 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. ^ "Canary Mission Blacklist Funded By Jewish Federation". The Forward. 2018-10-03. Retrieved 2024-12-04.
  14. ^ Valdez, Jonah (2024-11-19). "San Francisco's Biggest Hospital System: Don't Talk About Palestine". The Intercept. Retrieved 2024-12-04. 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.
  15. ^ Hix, Lisa (2006-07-20). "Rupa and the April Fishes". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 2024-07-22.
  16. ^ Rahman, Abid (2015-09-23). "Plaintiff Who Challenged "Happy Birthday" Copyright "Screamed With Joy" at Ruling". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2024-07-17.
  17. ^ "Marya v. Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., 131 F. Supp. 3d 975 | Casetext Search + Citator". casetext.com. Retrieved 2024-07-17.
  18. ^ Gilbert, Andrew (2009-11-01). "A delicate balancing act". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2024-12-04. 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.
  19. ^ Gilbert, Andrew (2009-11-01). "A delicate balancing act". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2024-12-04. 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.
  20. ^ Gilbert, Andrew (2009-11-01). "A delicate balancing act". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2024-12-04. 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.
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