When I look at Wakefield, I see the same kind of lack of ethics evident in #Medbikini study
but Wakefield was far further down the spectrum
because he was doing invasive GI procedures on children for his study, funded by a lawyer
First: consent matters
Informed consent matters
What incentives exist in healthcare & academia that shaped his mindset & behaviors?
What was Wakefield rewarded for throughout his career?
Where did he NOT get questioned?
Look as this patent he had filed to compete vs MMR
Gibberish
+
His 🤑incentive
https://t.co/NRqXvBCGvB
Please note in his patent application Wakefield used those 12 samples that he cited in his
@TheLancet study. He was not the only author. There were reviewers. There were editors. He was not alone in a cave. He was bullying his staff too
This was NOT “one man”
And lots of silence
“Joking” about kids crying & vomiting? Sounds like a massive jerk.
Erased/changed data
I have a hard time believing no one found him problematic before
Were people afraid to report?
When held accountable, he catastrophized, claiming he was being “persecuted”
Sound familiar?
Is Wakefield the only scientist or doctor funded by shady sources? Unfortunately no
Increasingly science serves the wealthy
The incredible irony is that he claims to be “exposing” the very thing that he himself is - HE was driven by money instead of sound science or ethics
My 🧵 on the pattern of anti-vaxxers targeting traumatized or marginalized groups - like refugees with valid distrust of authority/government - and/or those having a narrative of being “done wrong “by the system.
Wakefield claims his being held accountable = “persecution”
=hook
https://t.co/l7XRK7jGoV
people who are manipulative & have no concern about harm/consequences they cause others
can be very good at storytelling
engage others’ emotions
tap into emotions of trauma
while themselves focus on wealth, fame, power
=manipulate emotions
use a “hook”
https://t.co/AFkQK0U5nz
Am unapologetic on protecting medical students’ & trainees’ ability to report
+
psychological safety
Check Wakefield types early
Who abuses power?
Students know
This hit piece written on me
Notice “hook” of unrelated shocking event to trigger emotions
https://t.co/jmiiBZ2OgI
Anyone who follows me knows I tweet incessantly on every topic
“vet” & “verify” = my mantra
my credibility as an expert witness depends on being factual
Regardless of individuals in question, professionalism must entail
-consistent standards
-verified facts
-verified identity
Personally, as a pediatrician, working in vulnerable & marginalized populations like refugees, the reviewers & editors that I face are EXTREMELY stringent on ethical standards
I don’t understand why we have repeated examples of others bypassing this level of scrutiny/standards
I happen to have a name that is likely unique in the world as well as throughout human history given the unusual spelling of multiple names.
I am not at risk of this kind of mistaken identity but many people I know who are Muslim are, even babies.
“Verify” for identity matters.
https://t.co/gZTw0LXwHY
Can you honestly tell me that this Black male doctor
has ANY chance of ever committing the level of ethical violation & harm to our profession as Wakefield?
He was handcuffed for #publichealth best practices & volunteering
Our bias = wrong policing
https://t.co/HVr0xY2GsQ
There is SOOO much written on the problems with #Professionalism
= exactly WHY we end up with people like Wakefield
who get through gate after gate
while others, doing the RIGHT thing
are held back on petty issues or pushed out
FOR doing exactly what they were asked
The narrative that Wakefield
is an aberration
an individual who uniquely did unusual harm to our profession
is a false narrative
that fails to attribute accountability appropriately
Wakefield is a predictable result of our system
Who is rewarded for acting without #ethics?