Harvard Medical School Professor Charged With Domestic Violence Placed on Leave

The Harvard Medical School professor facing charges related to multiple domestic violence incidents has been placed on leave, according to a spokesperson for Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center.

Feng Tian, an assistant professor of neurology at HMS and head of a lab at BIDMC, was arrested by the Brookline Police Department two weeks ago and faces two counts each of assault with a dangerous weapon and assault and battery on a pregnant victim, among other charges, in connection with reported domestic violence in 2023 and 2026.

Tian pleaded not guilty to all charges at a July 15 arraignment hearing and was released without bail, with an order to have no contact with the victim.

A BIDMC spokesperson confirmed that Tian was placed on leave but did not respond to further questions about the leave, including whether Tian is still being paid or when the leave began.

BIDMC is a teaching affiliate of HMS, where Tian holds an academic appointment. He heads a lab in BIDMC’s Department of Neurology.

While on leave, Tian has continued to give research-related instructions members of his lab, which studies neurons susceptible to neurodegenerative diseases including Alzheimer’s disease.

Tian messaged lab researchers — including Harvard graduate and undergraduate students — in a group chat last Friday evening asking for project updates, according to messages obtained by The Crimson.

Tian continued sending research-related instructions in the WeChat group as recently as Monday morning, when he asked lab members to join a Slack channel. Tian disbanded the group chat Monday afternoon, according to a screenshot reviewed by The Crimson.

In an earlier message, Tian told a research assistant not to schedule a meeting for the following week, and instead to send updates directly to him.

A BIDMC spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment on Tian’s continued research advising.

Tian’s charges stem from multiple reported domestic violence incidents. The victim told Brookline Police about the alleged violence on July 14, and an arrest warrant was issued for Tian the same day.

In a reported April 8 incident, Tian allegedly hit the victim — who was nine months pregnant — and held her down against a bed with his forearm across her throat, according to the police report. The victim also told police that Tian threatened her with a large kitchen knife, forced her to eat in a kitchen filling with gas from a burner, and shut windows she attempted to open.

The victim also described a 2023 incident to police in which she said Tian hit her, threatened her with a knife, and “said they should die together,” according to the police report. Tian had begun his professorship and founded his lab just months before the reported incident.

The victim fled the home and sought medical care after the April incident. She was admitted to the hospital, where she was connected with social workers specializing in domestic abuse after disclosing the alleged violence to hospital staff.

She was later moved to a domestic violence shelter, where she gave birth 13 days after leaving the home, according to the police report.

The victim told officers that she “did not realize how much danger she was in” while living with Tian until after she left and was placed in the shelter. She added that she felt Tian was “never thrilled about the baby,” according to the police report.

—Staff writer Shawn A. Boehmer can be reached at [email protected] and on Signal at shawnb.18. Follow him on X @ShawnBoehmer.

—Staff writer Claire A. Michal can be reached at [email protected] and on Signal at ClaireMichal.154.