According to UO Matters- it was a (very awkward and offensive) attempt to honor the author of Black Man in a White Coat (http://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/14/books/review-in-black-man-in-a-white-coat-a-doctor-navigates-bruising-terrain.html?_r=0)

Word on the street is that the prof is a she, not a he (in any case, none of the official reporting genders the offender).