This is the first installment of conversations about diversity, equity, and inclusion in recruitment and mentorship at academic cancer centers.
We’ve all heard this story before, just with a different set of names and places. Man harasses woman after woman, eventually someone (usually a woman) is brave enough to report him, a quiet investigation confirms the reports, and he quietly and seamlessly gets hired elsewhere with no one the wiser.
The Cancer Letter received eight 2021 Dateline Awards from the Washington, D.C. Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists—five for journalism, and three for illustration.
In the days leading up to the 2021 American Society of Clinical Oncology annual meeting, The Cancer Letter published a piece focused on Axel Grothey’s unethical sexual relationships with women he mentored while at Mayo Clinic. While this news was met by some as shocking, science tells us it is anything but.
Inappropriate sexual relationships of the sort Axel Grothey engaged in at Mayo Clinic may be all too common.
The aftermath of sexual misconduct at premier medical institutions rarely leaves visible traces: HR is brought in, confidentiality invoked, deals made. The case of Axel Grothey’s exit from Mayo Clinic is a notable exception.
Gynecologic oncologist Sarah Temkin has observed and experienced sexism in many venues: in hospital inpatient units, in the clinic infusion site, in the emergency room, but nothing is more blatant than sexism in the operating room.
