Dr. Leigh Sundem Dr. Christopher Duntsch Dr. Kevin T. FOLEY residency director

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 . .

On April 14th, 2020, our dear friend Leigh Sundem took her own life when she succumbed to the pain of falling short of her dreams which she worked tirelessly for, and deserved on her merits alone. Everyone who knew this ambitious woman who overcame countless obstacles has been left with overwhelming grief and confusion.

Leigh’s struggle with alcoholism and drug addiction began in middle school when she started drinking to escape her feelings of depression and anxiety. It progressed quickly, and in a few short years, she experienced swift consequences for her regular drug use when she spent her 16th birthday in a juvenile detention facility. Over the next few years, Leigh was in and out of jail while continuing to battle her addiction. This portion of her story is best told in her own words, which can be heard (https://www.c-span.org/person/?leighsundem) when she fearlessly advocated for others in recovery in front of Congress ten years ago.

In 2007 while on parole, she rear-ended a Georgia State Patrol officer at a red light. She was given a choice to complete her 7-year prison sentence or to enter a long-term treatment facility. This moment became the catalyst for her journey to recovery. She chose to go to Statesboro, Georgia where she spent over two years in an intensive addiction treatment program. While working at minimum-wage food service jobs to help pay for treatment, she began to realize her incredible potential and she began to dream. She dreamt of ways that she could give back to people in need. Early in recovery, she decided to pursue a medical degree and help as many people as possible along the way. With her goal in mind, she became dedicated to overcoming and rectifying her mistakes as a teen and young adult.

When it came time to match with a residency, Leigh had done everything possible to reach her dream. She had always been open and honest about her journey to recovery, she exemplified how her past was an asset and not a liability, and she participated in a voluntary monitoring program for 12 years to prove that she was serious about her recovery. However, many programs were unwilling to admit anyone with a criminal record involving drugs and alcohol. Leigh was devastated when she failed to match into any orthopedic surgery programs. Never complacent, she quickly found a surgical preliminary position at Rutgers University and began working towards securing a residency in Emergency Medicine the next year.

When the second year of matching came, Leigh again felt confident that she would match with a program. Her time at Rutgers had resulted in further accomplishments and accolades. She now garnered new skills, exceptional recommendations, and a growing network of peers and professionals willing to advocate for her. During this time she was also asked to write about her years of volunteering and her persistent work with those struggling with substance-use disorders. While she seemed like an obvious asset for most programs combating the opioid epidemic, she did not match into any Emergency Medicine programs.

Over the next year, Leigh tried to remain optimistic, but began expressing regret at having missed out on so many milestones her friends were experiencing (careers, marriages, babies). She found herself feeling increasingly isolated as she struggled to maintain her closest relationships due to her demanding schedule. And yet she still supported her friends as much as she could. When she showed up, she brought joy and encouragement. She also continued to share her story of recovery whenever speaking engagements allowed. As she tried to balance her career, family and friends, and being a resource for others in need, she was also planning out her next move.

In March of 2020, after again failing to match for the third year into a residency program, she was completely devastated. In Leigh’s eyes, she would never secure a job in medicine at the level she aspired. After dedicating her life to recovery from addiction and to the field of medicine, this last rejection left her hopeless.

A coward who was more worried about his reputation than getting a murderer off the street.

Dr. Foley gave positive recommendations to Dr. Death (do yourself a favor and google this) and even after being informed of Dr. Death's patients who died or were permanently paralyzed, Dr. Foley refused to protect the well being of future patients to protect himself. At the end of the day, he may be a decent surgeon and doctor day to day but when under-going high risk procedures that Dr. Foley performs, he may be faced with variables unknown to the patient and he’s shown through his actions that he is willing to put himself first before patients. This trust goes a long way and if you want a doctor that is transparent, trustworthy, and puts patients as the highest priority, highly recommend to look elsewhe

Mentor to Dr. Death. Profits over patients. May be a good doctor but patients are just paychecks for this man. I dont know how he sleeps at night.

My eyes have been opened to the corrupt world of the medical "professionals" who are more interested in making a buck than the well-being of their patients. This man, Dr. Foley, again and again, recommended Dr. Christopher Duntsch to hospitals across the state of Texas where he repeatedly botched one surgery after the other - essentially killing a few patients. Come to find out, Mr. Foley was in business with the mad doctor Duntsch. Imagine that. PRIORITIES. Despite Dr. Foley's knowledge in the OR, how can anyone ever support someone who is somewhat responsible for the traumatic injuries and deaths that he KNEW Dr. Duntsch had caused, yet disregarded. Listen to the podcast Dr. Death before seeing this man or anyone else who contributed to Dr. Duntsch's unspeakable acts.

Responsible for death - allowed Dr. Christopher Duntsch to graduate and maim patients - Duntsch is now in prison for life. " “Dr. Christopher Duntsch, trained with Dr. Kevin Foley in a prestigious one-on-one Fellowship in Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery.” ( https://sarasota.legalexaminer.com/health/doctor-guilty-of-felony-for-medical-malpractice/) "Dr. Kevin Foley allowed him to leave a yearlong minimally invasive spine fellowship and did not mention hearing of adverse outcomes when hospitals in Dallas contacted him for a reference. The University of Tennessee Health Science Center allowed him to practice after residency and medical school, despite his skills being questionable"

Dr. Kevin Foley was the spine surgery director who let loose the psychopath killer Dr. Death, Christopher Duntsch, M.D. upon the state of Texas. If you are seeing Dr. Foley for an opinion on possible surgery, do yourself a favor and first google Dr. Kevin Foley, Christopher Duntsch, Dr. Death, and their connections to the company DiscGenics. Watch the Peacock series "Dr. Death", which follows the real story closely. Kelsey Grammer plays the character in that movie series named "Dr. Skadden", which is the renamed version of the real-life Dr. Kevin Foley. Yes, and Dr. Kevin Foley is still involved with DiscGenics, just like in the movie - google DiscGenics's website. This was the research project that Dr. Duntsch pursued during his surgical training in lieu of actually learning how to do surgery properly. Dr. Foley allowed this to happen and then covered it all up, giving the letters of recommendation to Dr. Duntsch that allowed his two-year killing and maiming spree to start in Texas.

Dr. Foley, are you sleeping well at night, knowing you allowed Dr. Duntsch to kill two patients, and paralyze or maim 31 others in Texas, after you were directly responsible for supposedly teaching him how to actually do these surgeries properly?

This doctor enabled a serial killer!! You had a duty Dr. Foley and you failed.

t is absurd that this supervisor failed to follow up such gross neglience as ex-MD Duntsch has shown. This indeed questions Dr. Foley's decision makin abilities. I fail to grasp how one cannot come to this same conclusion.

Sad and ironic that a spine doctor himself turned out to be spineless when given the chance to prevent further pain and suffering at the hands of Dr Christopher Duntsch aka Dr Death. Shame on you !!!

Can't believe he endorsed Dr. Death. Shame on you. Hope you are unable to live with yourself.