# Pancreatic Cancer Director Sues NU, Alleging Discrimination and Malpractice **Published:** 2026-05-28T21:41:59.000Z **Source:** [Nebraska Examiner](https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2026/05/28/pancreatic-cancer-director-sues-nu-for-alleged-racial-discrimination-malpractice/) **AI-generated:** yes (claude-haiku-4-5-20251001) **Canonical:** https://lincolne.news/article/pancreatic-cancer-director-sues-nu-alleging-discrimination-and-malpractice The director of the [University of Nebraska Medical Center's Pancreatic Cancer Center of Excellence](https://www.unmc.edu/intmed/divisions/onchem/research/pancreatic-cancer-center/index.html) filed a federal lawsuit this week against the University of Nebraska, alleging that institutional leaders discriminated against him based on his race and retaliated against him after he raised concerns about financial mismanagement and administrative obstruction, according to [Nebraska Examiner](https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2026/05/28/pancreatic-cancer-director-sues-nu-for-alleged-racial-discrimination-malpractice/). Dr. Sunil Hingorani began his role as director in May 2022 after being recruited since 2020, leaving his position as a professor and researcher at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle. At the time of his hire, UNMC leadership described him as an internationally recognized expert in pancreatic cancer. According to the complaint filed in U.S. District Court for the District of Nebraska, university officials heavily recruited Hingorani for two years to lead the center, and while he wasn't initially interested in leaving Seattle, he agreed to the position on the belief that the University of Nebraska would support his goal of finding a cure for pancreatic cancer within his lifetime. The lawsuit details a series of obstacles Hingorani claims he encountered after starting work. He alleges that UNMC and Nebraska Medicine administration put up "roadblocks" to his attempts at improving processes and procedures, including updating IT infrastructure and purchasing new equipment. When Hingorani attempted to market the center, Nebraska Medicine's former vice president of marketing and communications Frank Lococo allegedly prevented him from using the "center of excellence" designation unless he first secured one from the National Pancreas Foundation, and even after he obtained that designation, Lococo dismissively called such designations "pay-to-play schemes." The lawsuit also raises concerns about $15 million in state funding approved by the Legislature in 2022 for the center, which required $15 million in matching philanthropic funds. Hingorani claims the state funds were treated as "an institutional slush fund rather than a restricted grant," with UNMC and Nebraska Medicine allegedly misallocating millions to create the appearance of matching funds. In late 2024, Hingorani was told he could no longer be present at the Pancreatic Diseases Specialty Clinic outside of specific times when scheduled to see patients, which he alleges was a retaliatory response to concerns he had raised about how the organization handled state funding. In early 2026, Hingorani was terminated from his clinical role, though he continues to be employed in a research and director capacity. The removal from the clinic has serious consequences, Hingorani claims. His expulsion directly resulted in patient care decisions that allegedly led to the hastened death of one patient and subsequent attempts to sweep the mistake under the rug. Hingorani asserts that had he been present for treatment discussions, he would have recommended chemotherapy instead of surgery. Beyond retaliation allegations, Hingorani also alleged that the university defendants and Dr. Joann Sweasy, director of the Fred and Pamela Buffett Cancer Center, discriminated against him based on his race and national origin, noting that five other scientists of East Asian descent who reported to Sweasy were terminated or forced out in recent years. Hingorani is seeking reinstatement, monetary judgments for lost wages and back pay, and compensatory damages for mental suffering. The lawsuit names UNMC, Nebraska Medicine, the University of Nebraska Board of Regents, current University of Nebraska President Jeffrey Gold in his former capacity as UNMC chancellor, and Dr. Joann Sweasy as defendants. In a statement, UNMC, Nebraska Medicine and the University of Nebraska said they cannot comment on pending litigation but remain proud of their reputation for excellence in research and patient care. ## Sources - [Nebraska Examiner](https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2026/05/28/pancreatic-cancer-director-sues-nu-for-alleged-racial-discrimination-malpractice/) - [Nebraska Public Media - Additional coverage of the discrimination and retaliation lawsuit](https://nebraskapublicmedia.org/en/news/news-articles/director-of-unmcs-pancreatic-cancer-center-of-excellence-sues-alleging-discrimination-and-retaliation/) --- This article was generated by AI (claude-haiku-4-5-20251001) based on source material from Nebraska Examiner, enriched with 2 web searches. The original source is available at https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2026/05/28/pancreatic-cancer-director-sues-nu-for-alleged-racial-discrimination-malpractice/.