Hey, MD Anderson Faculty, The Press Could Be An Ally
By
Leonard Zwelling
On July 15, Evan MacDonald wrote the attached piece in the Houston Chronicle describing the fact that Dr. Hagop Kantarjian was stepping down from his 30-year tenure leading the Department of Leukemia at MD Anderson. The article was full of Dr. Kantarjian’s many accomplishments, but never really got to the issue of why he was no longer leading this department. He is not retiring. He is still exceedingly productive. He is a great mentor to his young faculty, all of whom adore him. Why would he quit his leadership position when he seems to be as productive as he was 20 years ago?
The answer is that no one is allowed to know why he quit. As this blog has speculated, he may well have gotten crossways with his boss Chris Flowers or Dr. Pisters or both. Certainly, Kantarjian serves as a department chair at the pleasure of the president. No one is suggesting that either Flowers or Pisters cannot remove Kantarjian as chair, but it would be a good idea if the world knew why the most productive clinical investigator in the number one place for cancer care was taken out after 30 years of dynamic leadership.
The main reason that the cause of Kantarjian’s removal was not described in the article is that no one who knows is talking, and anyone talking (like me), probably doesn’t know. And I don’t.
The lesson here is that if the press is going to be of any assistance to the faculty in its current predicament of being subject to vague accusations of unprofessionalism that ineluctably lead to dismissal no matter how productive the faculty member is; having to work on Saturdays, putatively to make up for budget shortfalls; and the legislatively mandated loss of the Faculty Senate in its current iteration; someone has got to speak up. And it can’t be me. I am more than willing to talk to the press, but I don’t know anything of interest or of relevance to the long-term well-being of the faculty.
So here is my suggestion before it’s too late. Too late is defined as the day the Faculty Senate goes away, which it sounds like may be quite soon (probably September 1) if Dr. Pisters follows the will of the Texas State Legislature.
The Faculty Senate needs to stop trying to work with, be nice to, and become friends with the current Executive Leadership Team and go on the offensive either in the form of turning Wednesday into Sunday and stop patient care beyond emergencies as I have suggested for years now, or draw up a press release that incorporates the questions that remain unanswered by the ELT and the grievances surrounding the manner in which Dr. Pisters is leading. That press release should go to the Chronicle as well as to The Cancer Letter. It should be specific, respectful, and all-encompassing. If either of these two plans cannot be effected, then I am afraid any hint of shared governance or accountability from the ELT is over.
It really is up to the faculty to determine whether or not the current environment, policies, procedures, and remuneration schedules including the salaries of the millionaires on the ELT is satisfactory to the rank-and-file clinician and/or investigator. If the faculty is happy with its current lot, then do nothing beyond the current plan. But if the faculty is not happy, grousing is not the answer. Neither is playing ball with the ELT. Neither is rudeness.
It is time for quiet perseverance, clarity of purpose, and a search for allies. The press may be an ally.
