Unfortunately, in most cases health misinformation has been allowed to stand with very few, if any, professional consequences. Some prominent examples of individuals who have spread misinformation without repercussions include:
- Columbia University did not reprimand celebrity doctor Mehmet Oz, MD, MBA, for years of allegedly promoting “quack treatments.”
- Yale University did not reprimand Harvey Risch, MD, PhD, for pushing treatments without evidence and speculating about vaccines and “turbo cancer.”
- The University of Florida has not reprimanded Joseph Ladapo, MD, PhD, for distorting data and using anti-vaccine rhetoric.
- Louisiana State University recently added Robert Malone, MD, to their faculty despite his anti-vaccine advocacy and rhetoric.
- Simone Gold, MD, JD, the physician founder of a COVID misinformation group, hasn’t had her medical license revoked.
Many academic institutions failed to protect their institutional integrity, while state boards failed to protect the public’s safety.
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Critics argue that disciplining physicians creates a “chilling effect” on scientific debate. However, there is a clear distinction between fringe hypotheses discussed in journals and verifiably false medical advice given to the public. … Accountability is one of the tools that allows for trust to be built. Without it, trust will continue to shatter.
