One last thing about Theranos

Posted by Sten Westgard, MS

I know you've probably already read the book, listened to the podcast, and watched the documentaries (and are eagerly awaiting the movie and the tv series), so you've had your fill of stories about Theranos. Really, since it became so popular in the mainstream media, we've had a lot less to comment on.

But one of the heroic whistleblowers, Erika Cheung, had something to say that I wanted to share (with her permission):

"I spent many long nights independently doing training on QC systems & Westgard rules when I worked at Theranos. Before reporting Theranos company to CMS, I tried to collect and present lots of evidence on how our QC systems were severely failing and it wasn't just my opinion, but violated basic QC procedures, Westgard rules, and was far from six sigma laboratory principles. I was fortunate to be a young scientist who stumbled upon all the content you all developed and was able to leverage it to understand how a company was endangering patients...."

(Erika, it's really you we all need to thank.)

Comments

[Kenn Laurie]

Unless it's Erica's choice not to, why isn't she receiving the gratitude and recognition she so rightfully deserves. I thought I followed the saga carefully but don't recall hearing Erica's name, that's just not right.

[Teri]

How many people were harmed before Erika's discovery? Not settling for harmful practices may have saved countless lives. One of those lives could have been a loved one of each and every one of us. Thank you Erika! You are a great example of how one person can change the course of history.

[Albert Rabinovitch, MD, PhD]

Clearly, Theranos ran QC for cosmetic purposes only, not to control patient results.