Thomas Jefferson University president resigns after liking conservative tweets

Thomas Jefferson University President Mark Tykocinski resigned after receiving backlash for liking conservative tweets. 

University CEO Joseph G. Cacchione notified university students, staff, and faculty of Tykocinski’s resignation in an email sent in late July. The email stated that Tykocinski resigned in order to “to focus on his research and clinical translation efforts,” and that he would return to his position as full-time professor.

This occurred after he liked over 30 tweets posted by journalist Alex Berenson, who has repeatedly been critical of the COVID-19 vaccine and the pharmaceutical industry. Tykocinski also liked several other tweets from notable conservatives including Donald Trump Jr., which were critical of Big Pharma, the COVID-19 vaccine, and transgender medical procedures, Fox News reported.

Tykocinski had previously told the Philadelphia Inquirer that he liked the tweets in order “to learn more about the subject matter or the particular viewpoint,” and was not wanting to endorse the tweets he liked or the people that wrote them. 

Cacchione condemned Tykocinski in an email to the university community in May, in response to the Inquirer’s initial report. “At his level, he is held to a higher standard and should have known better,” he wrote, via Fox News. 

In response to Cacchione’s email, Tykocinski issued a letter of apology to the university. “I regret my lack of understanding of how ‘liking’ a tweet is an implied endorsement,” he wrote. “I also regret how my lack of understanding of the Twitter platform caused some to question my views on these complex issues.”

This did not stop the backlash, however. A group of liberal students from the university wrote a letter to Cacchione and the school Board of Trustees voicing their concerns about Tykocinski’s actions, claiming that his liking of these posts showed that the university had a problem with protecting diversity.

The group, “jefflgbtq” (Jefferson LGBTQ), shared the letter on their Instagram account. “We, the student leaders of various minority groups at Sidney Kimmel Medical College, are writing to express our collective concerns regarding President Mark Tykocinski’s recent social media activity.” The group wrote. 

“While we understand that Dr. Tykocinski has since issued a statement clarifying his intentions, we believe this incident represents a broader issue concerning this institution’s lack of diversity and inclusion,” they added.

Once Tykocinski resigned from his position as university president, an anonymous medical student told the Inquirer: “It was one of the outcomes that we wanted.” 

“The deans and faculty have been pretty receptive to what we suggested,” the student added. We are optimistic.”

Campus Reform has contacted all relevant parties for comment. This article will be updated accordingly.