BALTIMORE, MARYLAND: Jonathan Epstein, a prominent cancer-detecting pathologist at the Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, is accused of "bullying" and "intimidating" other residents and pathologists.
Epstein has been on a leave of absence from the hospital since May.
Jonathan Epstein's career
According to the Johns Hopkins Medicine website, Epstein, 66, is "a Professor of Pathology, Oncology and Urology at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine." He also serves as the Director of Surgical Pathology at The Johns Hopkins Hospital.
Epstein is also a recognized leader in the field of urological pathology.
With a combined liberal arts and medical degree from Boston University, Epstein "obtained his residency training in anatomic pathology at The Johns Hopkins Hospital," says the website.
He also received a fellowship in oncological pathology at the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York.
A faculty at Johns Hopkins since 1985, he has been consulted for approximately 12,000 surgical pathology cases, one of the largest figures in the world.
What are the allegations against Jonathan Epstein?
According to The Washington Post, the hospital authorities put Epsetin on administrative leave in May after a misdiagnosis resulted in a patient's bladder removal.
Besides, other doctors accused the pathologist of pressuring them to give second opinions that confirmed his wife's diagnoses.
His wife, Hillary Epstein, is also a pathologist.
They further said Epstein himself provided second opinions agreeing with his wife's diagnoses.
In one such case, a man had to remove his bladder in a radical procedure, but the post-surgery analysis indicated a different diagnosis, according to a joint commission report published in August.
The report said the victims of Epstein's bullying "feared retaliation or career repercussions if they spoke up."
The Commission directed the hospital authorities to address the physicians' concerns "regarding a culture of bullying and intimidation in the surgical pathology department."
In a written comment to The Washington Post, Epstein said that he was "profoundly distressed" by the claims "as they are the antithesis of everything I stand for and have tried to exhibit in my professional life over these 35 years at Johns Hopkins."
