STUDENTS ARE AFRAID OF EASTERN VIRGINIA MEDICAL SCHOOL
Once again, Eastern Virginia Medical School has been sued by its own
students. In fact, during the last decade, there has never been a year
when EVMS was not being sued by its own students, on claims of abuses
and rights violations.
You’d think the administration would wake up.
The class of 1998 filed complaints of racial discrimination in EVMS
admissions. Two years later, the class of 2000 filed complaints of
gender discrimination. Students have even reported EVMS personnel to
the police on charges of violent crimes including burglary and
abduction.
Virginia Neurologist Katharine Wagner Heatwole was hired by EVMS to
discipline students even though she is a known criminal. The Circuit
Court of Norfolk, Virginia reports that she is guilty of ten separate
felony counts of stealing narcotics. According to the Virginia Board
of Medicine, she also has an extensive history of severe mental
illness, including multiple suicide attempts. Approximately five times
per year, Heatwole forces medical students into psychiatric treatment
by methods including the use of armed guards and terroristic threats,
according to the testimony of several of her victims.
Witnesses - at least two of whom state they were threatened by EVMS
administrators trying to prevent them from testifying ˆ have given
reports of a student being interrogated and threatened by Heatwole for
four hours after 33 hours of sleep deprivation. In this incident,
Heatwole brought in a man with a gun. While carrying a semiautomatic
pistol, the gunman threatened that the student would be “hunted down"
if he tried to escape Heatwole’s interrogation. After the death
threat, Heatwole forced the student under armed guard into an insane
asylum where she accused him of making detailed plans to murder his
family, his professors, and his classmates. The asylum judged the
student to be harmless and ordered his immediate return to medical
school. Heatwole then forced the student into a second asylum, which
also judged the student to be harmless. Heatwole’s accusations were
declared totally “unsubstantiated” by an EVMS investigative committee.
The school administration expelled the student anyway. Heatwole was
not disciplined.
Some of her victims have suggested that Katharine Heatwole may be
criminally insane.
Heatwole has also falsely accused an internationally published cancer
researcher of stealing his federally authorized research materials so
he could use them to murder people. She falsely accused the Director
of Operations of an international security company ˆ a complete
stranger ˆ of plotting to murder her. She falsely accused the nephew
of a United States senator ˆ another complete stranger - of plotting
to murder his family. She has accused a medical student of mental
illness because he drank alcohol at a New Year’s Eve party. She forced
a medical student onto mind-altering medication because he asked a
classmate for a date. She accused a medical student of plotting to
murder people because he was practicing the use of IV lines and
hypodermic needles at the instruction of his teachers. She accused an
American nuclear weapons analyst of mental illness because he desired
to remain eligible for his government security clearance. She accused
a well-known volunteer charity clinic worker of stealing donated
medicines which he routinely provided to free clinics on the orders of
community doctors. She accused a medical student of threatening her
when he left messages with her secretary stating “Please contact me
regarding academic matters.” All of Heatwole’s known victims have been
male, so gender hatred has been advanced as a possible motive for her
crimes, but if she is indeed criminally insane then the concept of
motive may be meaningless.
Robert McCombs, EVMS Dean of Student Affairs, has admitted in a
federally mandated document release that he entered a student’s
private apartment without permission and looked at pornography. He has
been observed drinking alcohol on school property and offering alcohol
to female medical students. He has admitted to going into a student’s
home without permission and searching through the kitchen looking for
food. A former student who is a professional graphic designer reports
that McCombs stole computer disks containing ten thousand dollars
worth of her digital artwork, which he refused to return until after
he had time to copy the disks. When she demanded her property, he
replied “I have a whole tower of attorneys.” According to documents on
file with the local police, McCombs has also been formally accused of
felony larceny of firearms during an alleged 1999 burglary.
Students have reported EVMS professor Nicola Davies for gossiping
about their grades, a violation of federal education law. The
administration refuses to discipline her, calling it “a learning
experience.” She has learned well. Two Honors students who had
reported her were given failing grades by Davies, who then gossiped
about the failures. The failing grades were eventually overturned, but
the administration still hasn’t disciplined Davies. Instead, they have
promoted Davies to a “senior research scientist” post, even though the
Virginia Board of Medicine reports that Davies has never published a
single research article. Davies’ parents are both EVMS administrators.
Local physicians are wary of working with EVMS, and this creates a
shortage of community training posts for medical students. When two
students were instructed “you must share a local physician and work
together,” Dean of Education Christine Matson flunked them for
"collaborating.” Her explanation was that the word “you” in their
instructions was a singular pronoun.
Under EVMS rules, only the student-run honor council is permitted to
give disciplinary failures, but the council was not contacted.
EVMS is consistently ranked as one of the worst medical schools in the
United States by US News, the Princeton Review, and the Gourman
Report.
Other allegations of corruption abound, such as when a pediatrics
resident reported a mechanically defective incubator that had resulted
in the deaths of as many as nine infants. The value of money
outweighed the value of human life: EVMS administrators buried the
report and fired the resident. And what about formal allegations filed
with the Virginia Governor last year about EVMS administrators
illegally diverting federal money to genetic experiments on human
reproductive cells, without the consent of the donors? Buried.
Allegations of misdirected endowment money? Buried. Allegations of a
well-liked pathology professor who was forced to resign after
administrators circulated rumors of mental illness? Buried.
Allegations of sexual misconduct with medical students? Buried.
EVMS administrators know they have a bad reputation. They respond by
crafting their public relations campaign accordingly. They call
themselves a “private” medical school, even though the courts have
repeatedly declared them to be a public institution, created by the
Virginia General Assembly. Students who go on record as describing a
"friendly environment" are allegedly given preferential student loan
treatment or preferential class schedules. According to legal filings
in one of the many lawsuits filed by students against EVMS
administrators, every student who has ever reported administrative
misconduct has been expelled.
EVMS has the highest student expulsion rate in the United States, and
the lowest graduation rate. Each year the administration admits new
students into the various classes to adjust for student "departures,"
and then uses those new students to report an inflated graduation
rate.
According to reports from members of the class of 2000, 100
students were accepted into the class and 23 were either expelled or
left the school. However, 22 new students were brought in to fill the
void, so EVMS reported a graduation rate of 99%.
We are the Institute for Accountability, a nonprofit 501Â3 charity
and human rights organization, best known for our global work to
eradicate parasitic disease among children in developing countries.
Our mandate includes educating the public on health training issues,
which is why we are publishing this public safety warning. Our data is
based on approximately 300 pages of documentation and the testimony of
14 witness, as reported in law enforcement records.
If you or someone you know is thinking of applying for medical school,
we will give you the same advice that we will give to thousands of
aspiring doctors this year: apply only to reputable medical schools.
If you have trouble getting accepted, relax and don’t be in a hurry.
Never settle! Simply apply to graduate school, get a Master’s degree
in whatever subject you like (medical schools like variety), and
meanwhile volunteer at a nearby free clinic. You will walk away with a
graduate degree, published research, and an amazing letter of
recommendation from the clinic’s director. These items will place you
ahead of 99% of medical school applicants, and you won’t have to
attend a school with a long record of student abuse like Eastern
Virginia Medical School.
note: I am doing more research on this and will post student responses that I find.
As always, no dot believe everything you read, but look for coorboration and supporting evidence.
SOURCES CITED:
Several readers have requested sources for this public safety warning.
We have provided sources below. Victim and witness identities are
sensitive, and most have requested anonymity during interviews, citing
fear of retaliation. The witness identites below are coded; actual
names are in the records of the Norfolk Police, the Norfolk Division
of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Virginia Attorney General,
and the Norfolk District Attorney.
Once again, Eastern Virginia Medical School has been sued by its own
students. In fact, during the last decade, there has never been a year
when EVMS was not being sued by its own students, on claims of abuses
and rights violations.
SOURCES: student L3; case records of the Circuit Court of Norfolk,
Virginia. (The court records of student suits against EVMS are
massive, comprising literally thousands of pages. The clerks allow
members of the public to read them without paying for copies.)
The class of 1998 filed complaints of racial discrimination in EVMS
admissions. …
SOURCES: the complaints, filed by petition, are known to virtually
every member of the two classes, but in particular students M8, K0;
two police complaints filed with the Norfolk Police.
Virginia Neurologist Katharine Wagner Heatwole was hired by EVMS to
discipline students even though she is a known criminal. …
SOURCES: students W1, K0; witness MX; Heatwole's criminal and
psychiatric histories are summarized in an official notice of a
disciplinary hearing from Hilary H. Conner, Executive Director of the
Virginia Board of Medicine to Katharine Wagner Heatwole (formerly
Katharine Wagner McCune), certified mail receipt number P-354-303-666.
Witnesses - at least two of whom state they were threatened by EVMS
administrators trying to prevent them from testifying …
SOURCES: students W1, K0; witness MX; security personnel witness;
witness WX; official records of the Menninger Clinic dated May 10-14,
1999; official records of the Virginia Beach Psychiatric Institute
dated May 7-10, 1999; two Norfolk police complaints dated October 23,
2000 and supported by affidavits; letter forwarded from the office of
the Virginia Governor to the Virginia Attorney General signed by Carol
Comstock, Director of Constituent Services, and dated April 24, 2000;
written statements of EVMS Dean of Education Christine Matson dated
July 9, 1999; written statements of Katharine Wagner Heatwole dated
June 17, 1999.
Some of her victims have suggested that Katharine Heatwole may be
criminally insane.
SOURCES: student K0; witness MX
Heatwole has also falsely accused an internationally published cancer
researcher of stealing …
SOURCES: students W1, M0, K0, G0, T0; witness MX
Robert McCombs, EVMS Dean of Student Affairs, has admitted in a
federally mandated document release that he entered a student's
private apartment without permission …
SOURCES: written statements of Robert M. McCombs to his attorney David
K. Sutelan, dated May 20, 1999, and released as required under the
Federal Education Rights and Privacy Act and the Federal Freedom of
Information Act; students W1 and M0; witness MX
Students have reported EVMS professor Nicola Davies for gossiping
about their grades, a violation of federal education law. …
SOURCES: statements of the two student victims; written statements of
EVMS Dean of Education Christine Matson dated June 4, 1998; Virginia
Department of Health Professions online database
Local physicians are wary of working with EVMS…
SOURCES: students L0, K0
According to students, Nicola Davies became…
SOURCES: statments of four eyewitnesses. The documentation and
videotapes are standard EVMS procedure for recorded training
exercises.
EVMS is consistently ranked as one of the worst medical schools in the
United States by US News, the Princeton Review, and the Gourman
Report.
SOURCES: these rankings are widely published.
Other allegations of corruption abound…
SOURCES: The Rutherford Institute; student W1; two sources requesting
anonymity.
EVMS administrators know they have a bad reputation. …
SOURCES: EVMS website; the published Code of Virginia; opinion of the
Virginia Attorney General dated May 1, 1996; numerous case records of
the Circuit Court of Norfolk, Virginia; student L3
EVMS has the highest student expulsion rate in the United States…
SOURCES: numerous class of 2000 students; students K0, W1
We are the Institute for Accountability,…
SOURCES: records filed with the Norfolk Police, the Norfolk Division
of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Virginia Attorney General,
and the Norfolk District Attorney
OK, but Joe, where did YOU come across this information? is this published somewhere?
This hit MEM about a month ago, and a friend of mine who has a sister attending there was telling me a long time ago…maybe 8 months ago about how bad things were there. He said she was thinking about transfering to GWU actually and had already discussed this with some dean at GW.
I found out about some of this and thought it was maybe overblown, but most of this stuff checks out. Some of it I don't know so maybe its not as bad, but it doesn't seem good in any respect. I have to do some more poking around the AMA sites and some other things. One group is publishing this stuff and they are listed at the bottom of the initial article.
If I find out more I'll let you know of course, but I ain't makin a final judgement until I know for sure all of this checks out. Like I said, I have a friend who's sister is trying to get out of there because she is so miserable.
Didn't Betsy grad from there?
Yes, Betsy graduated from there. My chief resident during my psych rotation went there, and I gotta say, she NEVER said anything about people being unhappy or mistreated. She seemed to think it was a good place, and had many positive things to say. I am wondering if there is a small contingent of people who are getting magnified press, so that it ends up looking like a big problem.
I really don’t like the language of these “reports.” It is highly sensationalized - sounds like the National Enquirer. Dr. Heatwole apparently had a serious substance abuse problem - far too common among physicians, unfortunately - and was disciplined and treated for that problem back in 1993. It may very well be that she has other issues, who knows, but what actually happened - she wrote scripts for Vicodin for herself, forging her partner’s name as the prescribing doc - is quite ordinary and not the sensationalized “stealing” that is written of here.
One can search for Dr. Heatwole’s record by going to the Virginia Board of Medicine site
And the repeated use of the phrase ‘criminally insane’ sets off my hype radar big-time.
All in all, this “report” leaves me with the impression that there are some little kernels of truth there and they’ve been turned into a vast field of corn.
Its very possible MAry, but Police reports and files with State gov. lead me to believe it may be somewhere closer to the citations than I would like to believe. It just seems counter-productive to do what they are doing and it not eventually catch up to them. If it IS true, it will.