UCLA professor mentioned in Epstein files faces backlash

LOS ANGELES - Mark Tramo, a neurologist who has taught at UCLA for more than a decade in neurology and music-related research, is mentioned multiple times in documents tied to Jeffrey Epstein. 

Standing outside Tramo’s classroom, educator Sue Selle has been protesting, demanding the university fire him because of his past correspondence with Epstein. 

"While I understand it’s not a crime to email with Jeffrey Epstein, the history of Tramo’s correspondence with him goes back to when he was first convicted of soliciting a minor in 2008," Selle said.

Dig deeper:

According to documents released by the U.S. Department of Justice, Tramo exchanged roughly 1,200 emails with Epstein on a range of topics. 

In one of the emails that has drawn widespread criticism online, Tramo wrote, "Newborns will suck on a pacifier more vigorously if it triggers playback of a recording of her/his mother’s voice." 

The documents do not accuse Tramo of any crime, nor do they allege he had knowledge of Epstein’s abuse of minors. Still, critics argue the association raises ethical concerns.

"You will be judged by the company you keep," Selle said. "And if you expect to be around children, even college-age children, you need to be held to a higher ethical standard."

What they're saying:

Tramo disputes the criticism. 

He issued the following statement: "What we learned about Epstein's horrible crimes after his 2019 arrest was not known at the time of the correspondences in the recently released documents. The anachronistic reporting has been misleading, unfair, and defamatory. As Noam Chomsky stated when questioned about his appearances in the Epstein files, ‘What was known about Jeffrey Epstein was that he had been convicted of a crime and had served his sentence. According to U.S. laws and norms, that yields a clean slate. ’All I knew was that this 50-something year-old bachelor/billionaire/philanthropist pleaded guilty to soliciting prostitution circa 2007. Nothing about minors. Nothing about statutory rape. The lawyers in Florida kept a lot hidden, even from the victims of his sex crimes. As I recently told the Harvard Crimson and Daily Bruin, I never visited his island, never flew on his planes, and never saw him with young girls. I, like the many scientists he associated with — there is quite a long list — had no idea Epstein was a psychopath with a paraphilia. Many of the scientists are or were at Harvard and MIT. I moved to UCLA in 2010, and to my knowledge I’m the only one at UCLA, so I’ve been the local focus. I was introduced to Epstein by the Harvard Provost at a fundraising event when I was on faculty there. He continued to have a presence on the Harvard campus and interact with several Harvard and MIT colleagues and Harvard administrators after his 2007 arrest. He donated several millions to Harvard and was dangling a lot more. Unaware of his horrible crimes, I continued to seek donations after I moved to UCLA as I continued to do with other philanthropists in service to the mission of my colleagues’ and non-profit foundation, The Institute for Music & Brain Science. I have taught and trained literally thousands of undergraduates and young doctors-in-training at Harvard, UCLA, and Cornell since 1987 and cared for well over ten thousand patients in New York, Boston, and Los Angeles since 1982 — and have never once been accused of inappropriate behavior, sexual or otherwise. I’m attaching a couple of publications that are representative of the work our non-profit foundation did, thanks in part to the multiple philanthropists who supported us over the years. I’m shocked by the lurid imaginations pertaining to crimes against infants. Unfathomable. The infant pacifier comment was part of an ongoing conversation with philanthropists regarding funding proposals to develop new technologies and conduct clinical trials that could enhance brain development for critically ill infants in neonatal intensive care units. That work was conceived as an extension of a 2011 study published in the journal Music & Medicine. I’m horrified, sickened, and angry that Epstein dared to associate himself with me one minute, then turn around and commit heinous crimes the next. I wish I’d never been introduced to him by the Harvard Provost, and I regret I ever had anything to do with him."

The other side:

Despite the explanation, some UCLA students say they remain unconvinced. 

"I guess I’m not really surprised," said UCLA student Sullivan Rodriguez. 

"It really goes to show how people in positions of power are able to keep their positions and hide these documents. We cannot have professors who are in the Epstein files." 

Another student, Ethan Darles, said the university should take action. "I think they should force him to resign," he said. "Anybody connected should be cast out. There’s no place for that." 

UCLA has not responded to Fox 11's request for comment.