STORY: "Years before Motherisk scandal, SickKids stood by doctor who wrote ‘poison pen letters,’ by reporter Rachel Mendleson, published by The Toronto Star on April 30, 2017.
SUB-HEADING: "The
ongoing fallout from the Motherisk lab’s faulty drug and alcohol tests
has raised questions about SickKids’ decision to keep Dr. Gideon Koren
at the helm despite his behaviour towards a whistleblower colleague two
decades ago."
GIST: "Fifteen
years before scandal engulfed the Hospital for Sick Children’s
Motherisk lab, SickKids, by its own acknowledgment, had every right to
fire the doctor in the middle of it all. In
late 1999, Dr. Gideon Koren was identified as the author of “poison pen
letters” sent to SickKids doctors and the media during a heated dispute
with a whistleblower colleague, Dr. Nancy Olivieri. For months, Koren
had denied writing the anonymous letters that disparaged Olivieri and
her four supporters as “a group of pigs,” among other insults. He
confessed only after DNA testing provided irrefutable proof. “Your
actions constitute gross misconduct and provide sufficient grounds for
dismissal,” the former presidents of SickKids and the University of
Toronto wrote in an April 2000 decision following a disciplinary hearing
on Koren, whom they upbraided for “repeatedly lying” and showing a
“reckless dereliction of duty.” But,
citing his research achievements and the many young doctors he
supervised, who they said would be “disproportionately disadvantaged” if
Koren were fired, they instead docked him two months’ pay, fined him
$35,000 and continued his suspension until June 1, 2000. Koren remained head of the Motherisk Program he founded in 1985. The Motherisk scandal has cast doubt over thousands of child protection decisions
across Canada that relied on the hair-testing lab’s flawed drug and
alcohol tests, and prompted a re-examination of some of the program’s
influential research on drug safety in pregnancy. It
has also raised questions about the hospital’s decision to stand by
Koren, which suggests “the institution valued image over the safety of
patients,” said SickKids doctor Brenda Gallie, who was among Olivieri’s
defenders. James
Turk, a Ryerson University professor and former head of the Canadian
Association of University Teachers, which led an extensive investigation
into the Olivieri affair, said the Motherisk crisis makes clear “there
is a fundamental institutional problem that needs to be addressed.” “(SickKids
has) to detail what they did wrong in the past. Unless they can show
they understand the problems they caused, there’s no reason to think
that their solutions are going to solve those problems,” he said. “You
can’t just say, let bygones be bygones.” (Yet another excellent feature by Rachel Mendleson which is way too comprehensive to summarize. So, once again, dear reader, read on. HL)
The entire story can be found at:
PUBLISHER'S NOTE: I am monitoring this case/issue. Keep your eye on the Charles Smith Blog for reports on developments. The Toronto Star, my previous employer for more than twenty incredible years, has put considerable effort into exposing the harm caused by Dr. Charles Smith and his protectors - and into pushing for reform of Ontario's forensic pediatric pathology system. The Star has a "topic" section which focuses on recent stories related to Dr. Charles Smith. It can be found at: http://www.thestar.com/topic/
