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/