Top US cancer center MD Anderson is embroiled in bullying scandal - with top ... trends now
One of America's most prestigious cancer hospitals is embroiled in a bullying scandal that has culminated in staff members requiring emergency mental health treatment, DailyMail.com can reveal.
Insiders have described the culture at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Texas as 'toxic' and 'abusive', with senior doctors in charge likened to 'the Mafia' who 'tamper' with potentially life-saving research.
So severe is the situation, a top scientist at the center is currently battling a lawsuit over allegations that she plagiarized research conducted at the institution.
Daily Mail has learned of staggering incidences of staff maltreatment - including verbal abuse, including threatening statements that have landed people in hospital emergency rooms with panic attacks.
At the center of the scandal is the 'Queen Bee' of the institution, immuno-oncologist Dr Padmanee Sharma, who is a towering figure in the world of immunotherapy research. But behind the scenes she is said to enjoy a reign of terror.
Dr Padmanee Sharma is a towering figure in cancer immunotherapy, but coworkers and former staff have alleged that she has fostered a toxic work environment in which people are publicly humiliated and threatened
Dr Sharma, 53, - who is married to the high flying Dr James Allison, namesake of the James P. Allison Institute at MD Anderson Cancer Center - is accused of verbally abusing those around her and actively trying to derail fellow scientists' careers.
MD Anderson is consistently ranked number one for cancer care in the US and conducts the most groundbreaking research across a range of oncology specialties to treat even the rarest, most intractible cancers.
The hospital is funded by the federal government, which hands out millions of dollars every year in grants for research, by patients and insurers, and by wealthy philathropists, adding to a yearly revenue of about $10 billion.
Speaking to DailyMail.com, the former assistant of Dr Sharma, who worked with her between 2019 and 2023 and asked to remain anonymous, said the abuse began within her first month of working there.
The cruel comments were first delivered by Dr Sharma’s deputy Dr Sumit Subudhi, a fellow oncologist and immunologist, according to the assistant - who asked to be named 'G'.
The MD Anderson Cancer Center in Texas is well known for its pioneering work in the world of immunotherapy - using the body's own immune system to hunt for cancer and destroy it.
Her concerns about his harsh words were brushed off; upper management said he’s from New York, he just has a 'brash style'.
But this, according to G, was not brashness but rather hostile, aggressive verbal tirades that disparaged her intelligence and threats that she would soon be out of a job.
Within a few months, G was shifted to work directly under Dr Sharma - and co-workers warned her about the preeminent researcher’s temper and the work environment she cultivated.
G claims she heard one of Dr Sharma's employees had suffered a heart attack linked to the stress of the job, while another nurse practitioner working under Dr Sharma and Dr Subudhi had begun experiencing suicidal thoughts.
In late 2019, shortly before the pandemic sent most support staff away to work remotely, G herself suffered panic attacks that she once mistook for a full-blown heart attack, and she went to the hospital.
G tells of another occasion in which she was asked by Dr Sharma to update the her CV ahead of the doctor receiving a prestigious award. Thinking the document was up to date with Dr Sharma’s latest accomplishments, G made a few changes and sent it off.
But the changes she made were not to Dr Sharma's standards, causing the physician to ‘throw a fit.
G claims she pulled a chair up to her desk and held her ‘hostage’ - preventing her from leaving her desk for hours, not even for bathroom or food breaks.
She is said to have made condescending comments about G’s work ethic, such as saying that if G were her husband’s assistant, she’d be fired by now.
G alleges that Dr Sharma's chosen favorite Dr Sumit Subudhi also subjected her and others to verbal tirades and abuse
G’s coworkers in the bullpen, all at their own cubicles, took notice, and they themselves were not immune to the abuse either, falling victim to condescending remarks or verbal tirades.
But when they voiced their concerns about Dr Sharma’s actions, upper management brushed them aside, because Dr Sharma is ‘basically untouchable’, G claims.
Dr Sharma did not return DailyMail.com’s request for comment.
The hospital is also currently in the crosshairs of a contentious legal dispute brought by Dr Jamie Lin, a junior scientist who specializes in cancers involving the kidneys.
She was friends with Dr Sharma and her husband for years before their contentious legal battle began earlier this year.
