Rick Halpern, the dean of the University of Toronto Scarborough, announced his resignation Friday amid criticism over the school's handling of an investigation into a course that taught antivaccination materials.
Weeks ago the university said in a report the course was not "unbalanced" because the students had learned of the benefits of immunization in other classes.
"Students taking (the course) . . . are in their final year of study and are expected to approach controversial topics with a critical lens," the report said. It also said no students had complained about the syllabus. However, those conclusions were met with heavy criticism from a group of students at the school's Faculty of Medicine who penned an open letter two weeks ago calling for an independent investigation into the course.
Part of the course's syllabus was titled "Vaccination: The King of Controversy," and it included an interview with Andrew Wakefield, co-author of a now-discredited study that linked autism with the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine, as required viewing. A meeting between the med students and university officials is set to take place in the coming days, the students said.
Halpern, appointed dean six years ago, joined the university's faculty as a history professor in 2001, and will return to his position as a tenured professor after an administrative leave. His wife, Beth Landau-Halpern, taught the controversial fourth-year course, "Alternative Health: Practice and Theory," in 2014 and 2015.
Landau-Halpern is no longer teaching at the university, and the course was discontinued. The Star could not reach the couple for comment on Friday.
A spokesperson for the university said it could not comment on possible reasons for Halpern's resignation, citing confidentiality rules.
Halpern's resignation is effective Saturday. He was one year into a five-year term.