Boston Doctor Settles Gender Bias Suit For $7M

By The Associated Press February 7, 2013

BOSTON — A Harvard Medical School doctor has settled a gender discrimination lawsuit against Boston’s Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center for $7 million.

Dr. Carol Warfield, who became chief of anesthesia at Beth Israel in 2000, said former surgery chief Dr. Josef Fischer discriminated against her because she is a woman, openly ignoring her in meetings and lobbying for her removal. When she complained to former chief executive Paul Levy, she alleged both men retaliated and forced her out.

As part of the settlement announced Wednesday, the Harvard-affiliated hospital will name its pain clinic after Warfield.

Warfield tells The Boston Globe she’s “delighted.”

The hospital and the defendants did not admit any wrongdoing, but the hospital agreed to “reaffirm and clarify its policies and procedures” for employees reporting discrimination and retaliation.

ladymd

As an older female physician who worked with surgeons before ‘disruptive physician’ policies existed, I am choking on the amount of this award. Where is the harm? People don’t get that much money for being maimed by medical error. Dr. Warfield does women physicians no favors by taking the classic female tack of complaining to a ‘daddy’; it only enhances the men’s attitude that we cannot take care of ourselves. And, I never saw a CEO who was of any help in inter-physician disputes; only the head of the medical staff could and should have intervened. All in all, Dr. Warfield, thanks for nothing. We women docs are better off without your ‘help’.
J__o__h__n

Is having a “pain” clinic named after you really an honor?
Al Winston

As a surgeon at University of Cincinnati, where I knew Joe Fischer, he was an arrogant b@stard. This is the guy who would throw instruments in the O.R., yell at nurses, residents, and staff. He was hated by everyone in every surgical department, anesthesia department, and nursing. Seeing this award is just awesome. If Beth Israel had any brains/guts, they would throw him out of the remaining office and onto the curb. This jerk brings nothing to anyone.