FAIR In Medicine Newsletter
Why doctors should speak up, relevant medical news, upcoming events, and engage with a community that wants medicine to return to its Hippocratic roots
Silence Won’t Save Medicine, Speaking Up Will
The
’s recently featured story on OB/GYN Dr. Tara Gustilo resonated with me. Although I believe I was targeted for other reasons that couldn’t be proven in a court of law, my in-hospital and public protests over health policy, especially during COVID-19 and hospital-led George Floyd protests, were challenged at work. In 2020, I publicly challenged the hospital DEI leader for hosting a public kneeling protest for George Floyd. In an email to my department, I told trainees not to feel obligated to participate and that my office was open if they wanted to discuss things privately. That leader reported me to HR for resident “intimidation.” In 2021, I sat in a small office with an HR rep, the leader of my department, and our supervisor, explaining my tweets about COVID-19 masking and vaccines because they went against hospital recommendations.
Those were just some of the reasons I was constantly under a microscope. Unfortunately, working like that grew challenging mentally and physically, negatively impacting my family. Leaving the job and career I had invested nearly half of my life in was difficult. Still, I recognized that I couldn’t be effective at changing it while remaining a part of it, especially since I wasn’t in a high-ranking academic position or a hospital leader with multiple published papers and accolades.
I challenged leadership because medicine and medical education have deviated far from Hippocratic principles. Others chose to self-censor to avoid retribution, but that will not solve the problem. We need to challenge and debate ideas in science and medicine openly. High-ranking academicians and physician leaders must encourage this and participate in effecting change. Still, it only takes a few brave voices in the lower ranks to speak out and force leadership changes, so I am thankful for people like Dr. Tara Gustilo, who share their stories and challenge leadership.
I am Co-Director of FAIR In Medicine because I want to inspire more of you to speak up for patients and physicians and challenge the entities that poison the doctor-patient relationship. I am optimistic that we can pivot back to the reason we exist in the first place: to preserve and restore health.
We would love to hear your stories and solutions. Please get involved to support our mission. Contact us with questions, comments, news, or original article submissions or to join as a FAIR In Medicine Fellow.
Nikki M. Johnson, MD | nikki.johnson@fairforall.org | medicine@fairforall.org
Trending News
Healthcare Industry Interference In Parental Knowledge Has Political Ties
A Washington Examiner investigation showed that Epic Systems, a widely used electronic health records software company, is being used by doctors to allow children to go around their parents’ consent and knowledge to get hormones and surgeries for gender dysphoria. A recent report shows that Judith Faulkner, founder and CEO of Epic, is a major donor to political candidates who support policies allowing this.
Hope for Rebuilding Trust In Public Health
Friend of FAIR, Braver Angels ambassador, and DerateTheHate podcast host Wilk Wilkerson is leading discussions with public health leaders to help restore trust in the institution. Wilkerson moderated a symposium on this topic a few weeks ago at Stanford University and is optimistic that Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, President-Elect Trump’s pick for NIH leader, is key to rebuilding this trust.
UK Bans Sale of Puberty Blockers for Minors
While the US still awaits the Supreme Court’s decision on whether or not the states can ban puberty blockers for the treatment of minors with gender distress, on December 11th, the UK indefinitely banned the sale and supply of puberty blockers to minors with the disorder.
Use of Puberty Blockers Gains Ethical Disapproval
The National Bioethics Committee of Italy recently issued an opinion about the use of puberty blockers for gender dysphoria. Journalist
reports that the Italian advisors now recommend a restriction on the use of these drugs in clinical trials and not as first-line treatment for gender dysphoria.Conference on Censorship in Science
USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts, and Sciences will host a conference on censorship in the sciences on January 10 at the University Park Campus, Los Angeles. Featured panelists from different disciplines in and outside academia will discuss their perspectives and offer solutions.
Ontario Medical Students and Doctors Report Rising Levels of Antisemitism
According to a survey done by the Jewish Medical Association of Ontario, 80% of Jewish medical professionals report experiencing antisemitism on the job since October 7, 2023. Students surveyed indicate the rate has more than doubled.
FAIR In Medicine Looking Forward to 2025
Webinars
Stay tuned for webinar dates covering informed consent on medications and vaccines. We will also closely follow health policy in the new administration and new developments in gender medicine. Other topics to look for will be information about diet and food ingredients, industry relationships affecting medicine and medical education, politics affecting the education of other health-related professionals, and how political activism and industry relationships impact Hippocratic medicine and medical education.
ICYMI:
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Judith Faulkner (Healthcare Industry Interference In Parental Knowledge Has Political Ties) might have personal reasons for promoting hormones and surgeries for gender dysphoria.