The University of Colorado is cutting ties with a doctor who made a racist remark on Facebook about US first lady Michelle Obama.
The university said it was terminating Michelle Herren’s non-paid medical faculty appointment.
She had responded to a Facebook post praising the first lady, with the comment: “Monkey face and poor ebonic English!!! There! I feel better and am still not racist!!! Just calling it like it is!”
The paediatric anaesthesiologist also works at Denver Health Medical Centre, which said it is “bumping up against a first amendment right” on free speech in taking action against Dr Herren.
KMGH-TV said she is no longer seeing patients at the hospital. Dr Herren told the station her remarks were taken “out of context” and she did not realise the term “monkey face” was offensive.
