Time 100 Health Care reinforces hypocrisy and errors
An analysis of contradictory past statements/ comments
Recently, Time magazine named 100 of the most influential people in healthcare, largely in laudatory terms. There are, however, many notable omissions in their coverage. Here, I point those out.
History is written by the victors— it need not be accurate. As the pandemic ends, and we interpret the actions of policy makers and statements of pundits, I see little appetite for honest appraisal, and instead media distortion— where the folks who got everything wrong (lab leak, masking kids, vaccine mandates) are valorized and those who got everything right are fired.
Let’s start with a non-pandemic example
Rory Collins the UK researcher who supposedly democratizes data (via UK biobank), and yet Rory is at the center of a longstanding controversy where clinical trial data WERE NOT SHARED. Numerous linked editorials in the BMJ document how his team (the Cholesterol Treatment Trialists) have been reluctant and unwilling to share these data.
It’s astonishing to see a person hailed a a shining example of data sharing, when that person is well known for appearing reluctant to share data on a critical public health question. I doubt Time magazine knows this history.
Next example
Vivek Murthy is hailed as a doctor of human connection, but pressured social media firms to remove information on the pandemic from scientists because it disagreed with the Biden team’s policy preferences. A pending Supreme Court case is open the topic. Murthy also got pretty much all pandemic policy wrong: vaccine mandates, masking, school closure.
Famously he has multimillion dollar conflicts of interest.
Next up
It is surprising that Peter Marks, FDA, is praised for safer innovation, when he pushed for unjustified approvals. Specifically Marks pressured two FDA regulators to approve boosters for all ages, when they felt that was unjustified, and they resigned as a result. Marks repeatedly failed to ask Pfizer to run appropriate randomized trials. He also failed to act promptly on myocarditis, and the post market commitments are not fully complete.
See my prior coverage of Marks
Next
Pandemic protector? I would encourage readers to read the report of the House Oversight committee about the role Dr. Farrar played in pushing the “natural origin” theory of the virus, while failing to note his role.
Next
I don’t know what to say. Changing the first look of the vaccine study for no good scientific reason, which delayed approval. Not running appropriate randomized trials in kids or for boosters. And pushing Paxlovid in low risk populations, which do not benefit.
Next
Mr. Al-Aly might be the single person most responsible for creating the media long COVID narrative. His work has not been replicated by other VA teams, and we detail many of the limitations in the paper, worth your time.
Next,
Wow, in my opinion, Dr. Topol is one of the most misleading and incorrect science communicators. I have detailed those errors extensively
Finally
Wow, I think Dr. Hotez’s defense of masking kids is problematic
When should scientists debate?
Scientists are debating when, and under what conditions, scientists should participate in public debate and dialog. Peter Hotez— a Texas doctor— has previously appeared on Joe Rogan. During the pandemic, he pushed for prolonged school closures, masking young kids, and mandating a vaccine that does not halt transmission. Recently, he said he did not w…
These portraits should be hung on the wall of shame.
I'm extremely annoyed that the MSM doesn't investigate any of the covid malfeasance storylines. There's so much low hanging fruit ripe for the plucking, but nothing...
Vinay, you are a brave physician, and I admire you.