As with so many cases of unethical behavior, the following, specific example is indicative of much larger issues. So I will spend just a little while talking about the following scandal and then connecting the scandal to more general comments. Who is teaching ethical behavior to Physicians?
Lara Kollab
Up until recently, Lara Kollab was a physician, a resident, at the Cleveland Clinic. There is no doubt she is a bright woman. However, as a favorite relative of mine once said, “There is a big difference between book smart and common sense.” At this point, I might also point out that not only was Kollab a resident but a teaching resident. She taught first, second and third-year medical students from 2015 to 2018. She was granted a training certificate in July 2018.
However, Lara Kollab had a thinly veiled secret: she is a virulent anti-Semite. She was found out after an organization discovered her hate-filled posts on social media. For example, in a 2012 post, she stated: “I’ll purposely give all the [Jews] the wrong meds.”
Kollab’s called for violence against the Jewish people, she called Jews “dogs,” compared them to the Nazis, and minimized the Holocaust. Perhaps she believed she was being clever. Her comments were written in another language (Arabic) on her website. I might also add, that Kollab, who is not Jewish, earned many of her educational requirements from a Jewish University!
When it was brought to the attention of the clinic she was promptly fired. Stated the clinic in a release “She is no longer working at Cleveland Clinic. In no way do these beliefs reflect those of our organization. We fully embrace diversity, inclusion and a culture of safety and respect across our entire health system.”
It has been learned that she has scrubbed her social media accounts. Said the medical board, “It is the Mission of the State Medical Board of Ohio to protect the health and safety of all Ohioans. Malicious acts and attitudes toward any population go against the Medical Practices Act and are denounced by the board.” 
The “Gift”
Of course, the legacy of Lara Kollab, M.D., might be the gift that keeps on giving. Here is where the story greatly expands. If we substitute African Americans, Hispanics, Christians, gays, lesbians, children, the elderly, or any other group for the word “Jew,” we can see where this story could lead.
If over the course of many years, Lara Kollab misdiagnosed just one Jewish patient or indeed did prescribe just one Jewish patient the wrong dosage or a wrong medication entirely, it could result in a massive lawsuit. The Cleveland Clinic could potentially be in hot water for many years to come.
While supporters of Dr. Kollab (as incomprehensible as it might be) could say she was being naïve or immature or even had a First Amendment right, as a physician entrusted to diagnose and treat patients and to alleviate their suffering, her indiscriminate use of social media has caused her to lose all credibility. In addition, it is hardly a stretch to believe that if a physician is hateful toward one group, that she or he could potentially be hateful toward multiple groups.
In this scandal, Kollab saw the opportunity (through her website and social media) to go out of her way to post anti-Semitic rants. She believed that no one, outside of her fellow haters, would pay attention. The world of social media in 2019 does not stop at an imagined psychological border. Anything posted, including this blog, is as accessible in New York as it is in New Delhi. In addition, given the many available software translation packages, whether a social media post is made in English, Arabic, Japanese or Swahili, chances are it can be instantaneously translated.
Undoubtedly Dr. Kollab had a deep-seated “need” to express her hate. If she discriminates against any group or groups, what kind of “compassionate” physician does she portend to be? More than that, why would any other rational, clear-thinking physician want to work with her?
How did she rationalize her hatred? She might have rationalized it by believing that her attitudes would not have affected her treatments. Unfortunately, history is not on her side. There are legendary examples of racist white physicians, for example, intentionally withholding treatments from African American patients. Lara Kollab will be held in contempt for many years to come.
Ethical Training
Would ethical training, with a strong dose of social media “Do’s and Don’ts” have dissuaded Kollab? Perhaps. But at least The Cleveland Clinic would have made their viewpoint known and told the young doctor what is expected of a medical professional.
Where is ethical training in the lives of physicians? Other than bone-dry books and dusty lectures, it is almost non-existent. I shudder to think how many other Lara Kollab’s there may be, and how many patients have suffered at their hands.
I believe ethical training should be a mandatory annual requirement for any physician in practice. Who is teaching ethical behavior to Physicians?
