A message sent out to the University of Minnesota’s School of Public Health (SPH) community on Thursday said that the Center for Antiracism Research for Health Equity (CARHE) is closing on May 30.

SPH Dean Melinda Pettigrew said they are “currently assessing and reimagining the important work of health equity research and action as we also work closely with our funding partners to align priorities and strategic direction.”

Over the next few weeks, SPH will work with staff, faculty and students who are affected to ensure an organized transition of roles and continued research.

5 EYEWITNESS NEWS reported earlier this month that Rachel Hardeman, the founding director of CARHE and former professor at the university, left her position.

On April 10, Dr. Brigette Davis wrote a lengthy post on LinkedIn accusing Hardeman of plagiarizing her dissertation prospectus paper in 2019, which she said she found out about after joining the center’s team in 2022.

School of Public Health Dean Melinda Pettigrew sent a letter to faculty and staff on April 14 announcing Hardeman would finish her faculty appointment and center leadership on May 14. The letter praised Hardeman for her accomplishments, including being named to the TIME 100 Most Influential People in the World list in 2024.

According to a spokesperson for Hardeman, she worked with the University on her exit for a year, and her departure and plagiarism allegations are separate issues. The University would not provide information beyond the letter about the reason for the separation.

A University of Minnesota spokesperson did confirm there was a complaint filed against Hardeman, and it is closed. The spokesperson would not share additional details about the reason for the complaint or the outcome of any investigation, citing privacy laws.

In a 2021 launch video for the center, Hardeman outlined how racism appears in health outcomes for Black and Indigenous Minnesotans, from COVID deaths, to deadly police encounters, to infant mortality rates. The center was initially funded by a $5 million Blue Cross Blue Shield Minnesota grant.

In a statement to KSTP, Hardeman wrote, “The closure is not a reflection of CARHE’s work. It’s a reflection of the University’s failure to support, protect, or sustain antiracism work when it becomes inconvenient. CARHE was never meant to be performative. It was meant to disrupt. And that disruption was too much for a system unwilling to evolve. But this work does not end here. It lives on—in the communities we partnered with, in the data we made visible, in the truth we refused to silence. I will carry it forward—freed from the constraints of an institution more concerned with optics than impact.”

Dean Pettigrew released the following statement:

“The University of Minnesota School of Public Health remains strongly committed to our values and advancing health equity, which is central to who we are and how we teach, conduct research, and engage with communities. We recognize the important contributions that have been made and we’re embracing this moment to reflect on what our community needs most, now and into the future. We are working with our staff, faculty and students to ensure a thoughtful and organized transition in order to carry our work forward with intention, care, and a focus on collaborative impact.”

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota also released a statement regarding the closure:

“The closing of the Center for Anti Racism and Health Equity is an internal matter within the University of Minnesota. Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota remains committed to helping improve health outcomes for all Minnesotans through grants, charitable donations, and volunteer hours supporting a variety of organizations that positively impact the communities we serve.

As part of that commitment, Blue Cross continues to engage in discussions with the university’s School of Public Health on other opportunities that advance our goals of convening key stakeholders and working on initiatives that can help everyone live their healthiest lives.”