Dr. Leigh Sundem Dr. Christopher Duntsch an answer to Pam Wibble "discrimination "

Fri Jul 30, 2021 10:50 pm


here's some disclaimers,


until around about 7pm about 2 hours ago as I type this, i have never heard of Dr. Christopher Duntsch, don't know him, never heard about him, never heard any stories about him, in the news or anywhere.

2 hours ago, I don't know who Dr. Christopher Duntsch or what he did or anything about him, where he lived, where he practiced medicine, or what era and time period he is in. the name meant nothing to me.

for that matter I don't know Dr. Leigh Sundem or Dr. Pam Wibble either other than some web pages.


I just watched 2 episodes of Dr. Death: The Undoctored Story Episodes of Season 1

A docuseries chronicling two doctors' attempts to stop Dr. Christopher Duntsch, a seemingly brilliant, charming and ambitious neurosurgeon who aimed his scalpel at the citizens of Texas and left many patients maimed, paralyzed or dead.

thus far i have only watched it once through but i also started reading the wikipedia article on him

I originally was searching netflix and other websites for paranormal documentary tonight whether ancient aliens, paranormal caught on camera, expedition bigfoot but sadly nothing.

i saw this Dr. Death: The Undoctored Story Episodes of Season 1 by a company called Peakcock.

Not paranormal but piqued my curiosity anyhow


here's a screen grab




As i was watching this documentary I had thought of Dr. Leigh Sundem





for those who don't know, starting in her teen years then into her early twenties (i think) she did all the heavy drugs like a rock start, cocaine, heroin etc. i'm kinda impressed she survived that. she was a drug addict but more she got a felony conviction as a result. i don't know the details of her felony conviction.

she sobered up and then went to college got a 4.0 gpa, the highest MCAT score ever at her college above 99% and got into medical school.

she got the highest scores on her USMLE exams which are like bar exams for lawyers.

however, due to her felony conviction she was rejected from residency so she committed suicide.

this is what Pam Wibble said

Doctor’s suicide note asks us to end discrimination in medicine
Posted on May 11, 2020 by Pamela Wible MD

https://www.idealmedicalcare.org/doctors-suicide-note-asks-us-to-end-discrimination-in-medicine/

Dr. Leigh Sundem dies by suicide due to discrimination
Posted on May 1, 2020 by Pamela Wible MD

Dr. Leigh Sundem died by suicide when she was obstructed from practicing medicine due to discrimination related to her drug addiction as a teen. Clean & sober 15 years, she was an advocate for others in recovery, even testifying to congress. With countless awards in med school, Leigh was a phenomenal physician, yet (after 3 years of applying) was never accepted into required residency training. Leigh did not want to die. Unmatched to residency, unemployed with student loans due, she saw no way out. In her suicide note, she asked her family to contact me & gave us instructions to share the truth so her story “goes viral” and starts a REAL conversation about ending the stigma of addiction in medicine. So Please . .

ref https://www.idealmedicalcare.org/dr-leigh-sundem-dies-by-suicide-due-to-discrimination/

i don't think you can call it discrimination given that she had a FELONY conviction on her record. how can you call it discrimination if you don't accept into residency a person with a felony drug abuse conviction.

here were some opinions

Mitchell Zeitler says:
May 2, 2020 at 9:31 am

I find this very upsetting. Since I was a resident in Anesthesiology over 30 yrs ago , there has been a movement towards helping impaired physicians and allowing an opportunity to go back to practicing. I am profoundly disappointed that a teaching program could not figure out a way to monitor her during training. Wondering if this is partly the result of corporatizing of medicine.

Louise B Andrew MD JD says:
May 2, 2020 at 8:31 pm

My understanding is that she was clean and sober for 15 yrs and was being monitored by a PHP, which could easily have been continued during any residency in any state. The employment discrimination may have been on the basis of drug procurement related criminal activity, as a teen. Depending on the state, such a history might be expunged. But she was quite open about how she had turned her life around, and this honesty may have doomed her in a medical hierarchical system, in which decisions are often made on the basis of expediency and limited information. Such a needless tragedy, and waste of a perfect example of how people can change. Institutions, not so much.

Donald Turken, MD says:
May 4, 2020 at 12:15 pm

Leigh was very open on her applications as required, yet they used that information in order to oppose her. She was highly qualified and altruistic in her direction to help others. She did not shy from asking for help and was available to give help. Mysogeny and jealousy are latent and blatant. She was exceptional, yet they denied her opportunity, a hand up.

Donald Turken, MD says:
May 4, 2020 at 11:51 pm

I was primary interviewer of Leigh Taylor Sundem for admission to the medical school here 12/2011. Today (5/2) I am thinking of Leigh and damning the system. And I have stories, too, some personal, of the non-sentient nature of the system but also of humanity; small wonder I prefer other animals. Leigh was an extra-ordinary candidate. Later I searched for her and reached out to her to be a mentor. I made contacts and offers to help her, to advocate for her. This hurts. My last attempt to communicate with her was in an email 4/12/2020 after I learned she was in Las Vegas, NV. I did not expect a reply, again, but hoped. I think our last exchange was about 3 years ago when she was not accepted for Orthopaedics, and I encouraged her to do 3y surgical and re-apply; they are very difficult positions especially for a woman. Such a waste. Leigh was an incredible young lady up against the staid conservative medical/surgical profession where the **** continues to flow. Health care in this country continues to sink, and they are oblivious and do not care. My first sense of Leigh that I took from the interview room was what an exceptional candidate she was, exactly what we wanted.

well i didn't know what to say until now,


my reply is to watch Dr. Death: The Undoctored Story

Dr. Christopher Duntsch, who like Dr. Leigh Sundem had a drug addiction to cocaine, and would actually snort cocaine prior to actual surgery, neurosurgery on patients, with actual patient injury, paralysis and even death.


Dr. Christopher Duntsch, and Dr. Leigh Sundem





both did cocaine. the difference is that Dr. Leigh Sundem got caught and got a felony conviction, Dr. Duntsch wasn't caught until after patients actually died.

one of the things they pointed out was that Dr. Duntsch hired lawyers, and these lawyers threatened to sue.

the starting salary of a neuro surgeon is $600, 000 per year, and can grow to $1 million a year. He was a young recent resident graduate with possibly a 20-30 year career, that's $30 million.

so the Texas Plano hospital was afraid of losing $30 million so the settlement was he leaves after a patient died and several patients were injured, and no report to the Texas board of medicine.

The texas board of medicine got many complaints and they initially at least said

"there is no evidence of malpractice", severely injured and even dead patients was not "evidence of failing the standard of care"


as i watch it, I kept thinking, how did this guy graduate from medical school, then residency in neurosurgery, and also had a phD, and be so incompetent? part of the answer is he did cocaine before surgery.

he was high on drugs while performing surgery.

now several hospitals are being sued by numerous patients of Dr. Christopher Duntsch, who other neurosurgeons don't think he was qualified at all, and was even an impostor.

his credentials on paper are supremely impressive, he graduated from an actual medical school, passed the board exams, and residency, but his performance was so bad he actually is in prison for murder, the first in the USA for a doctor.

I think residency programs who rejected Dr. Leigh Sundem don't want another Dr. Christopher Duntsch.


student loan debt was an issue for both, Dr. Leigh Sundem had $300, 000, Dr. Christopher Duntsch. over $500, 000

and both had issues with cocaine, the difference was Dr. Leigh Sundem had a felony conviction and was rejected from residency but Dr. Christopher Duntsch did not, and graduated from residency.

I've never heard of Dr. Christopher Duntsch and had no idea something like this could even happen.



as for Dr. Leigh Sundem I think the issue of her felony conviction should have been resolved before choosing medicine as a career. the answer can you get accepted into residency with a felony conviction on your record appears to be no.

I do think residency programs need to protect the public and the patients, and having a felony conviction drug use is a major red flag, you may get a Dr. Christopher Duntsch on your hands.

I wonder if the patients can sue the medical school and residency Dr. Christopher Duntsch graduated from.

I don't accept Dr. Pam Wibble's claims Dr. Leigh Sundem was discriminated against, I think recreational drug use is germane factor in determining fitness to practice medicine as evidence by Dr. Christopher Duntsch

I think Dr. Leigh Sundem could have been a phD in chemistry and a chemistry professor, though I admit I am unsure how universities view phD professors with felony drug convictions. Maybe then a high school science teacher, if they don't have a problem with felony convictions.