A federal judge has allowed a former cardiac fellowship program director’s lawsuit to continue against the University of Pittsburgh and certain faculty members who allegedly removed him from his role following the publication of his article challenging affirmative action policies for medical schools and postgraduate training.

Dr. Norman Wang—a Chinese American cardiologist—brought a two-count civil rights complaint against Pitt, Dr. Mark Gladwin, Dr. Samir Saba and Dr. Kathryn Berlacher after he was removed from his position as director of the fellowship program in clinical cardiac electrophysiology, which is jointly operated by the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, according to the opinion.