AP EXCLUSIVE: Pilot Duped AMA With Fake M.D. Claim
- Posted on December 12, 2010 at 11:06pm by
Scott Baker
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MILWAUKEE (AP) — He seemed like Superman, able to guide jumbo jets through perilous skies and tiny tubes through blocked arteries. As a cardiologist and United Airlines captain, William Hamman taught doctors and pilots ways to keep hearts and planes from crashing.
He shared millions in grants, had university and hospital posts, and bragged of work for prestigious medical groups. An Associated Press story featured him leading a teamwork training session at an American College of Cardiology convention last spring.
But it turns out Hamman isn’t a cardiologist or even a doctor. The AP found he had no medical residency, fellowship, doctoral degree or the 15 years of clinical experience he claimed. He attended medical school for a few years but withdrew and didn’t graduate.
His pilot qualifications do not appear to be in question — he holds the highest type of license a pilot can have, a Federal Aviation Administration spokeswoman said. However, United grounded him in August after his medical and doctoral degrees evaporated like contrails of the jets he flew. He resigned in June as an educator and researcher at William Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak, Mich., after a credentials check revealed discrepancies, a hospital spokeswoman said.
AP
Doctors who worked with the 58-year-old pilot are stunned, not just at the ruse and how long it lasted, but also because many of them valued his work and were sad to see it end.
“I was shocked to hear the news,” said Dr. W. Douglas Weaver, who was president of the cardiology group when it gave Hamman a training contract for up to $250,000 plus travel a few years ago. “He was totally dedicated to what he was doing, and there is a real need for team-based education in medicine,” said Weaver, a pilot himself from Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit.
Even after learning of Hamman’s deception, the American Medical Association was going to let him lead a seminar that had been in the works, altering his biography and switching his title from “Dr.“ to ”Captain” on course materials. It was canceled after top officials found out.
Now, groups that Hamman worked for are red-faced that they hadn’t checked out the tall, sandy-haired man who impressed many with his commanding manner and simple insights like not taking your eyes off a patient while talking with other team members about what to do.
“This is Your Captain Speaking: What can we learn about patient safety from the airlines?” is how his training sessions typically were billed.
Journals that printed articles listing Hamman with M.D. and Ph.D. degrees are being contacted in case they want to correct the work. Beaumont removed him from a U.S. Department of Defense medical simulation contract that a physician at the hospital had obtained.
Doctors who attended Hamman‘s sessions don’t have to worry — the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education will not revoke any education credits they earned.
“That just makes the learners more of a victim,” said the council’s executive director, Dr. Murray Kopelow, adding that this is a first in his 15 years on the job. “Sounds like there’s lots of victims in this case — the learners, the accredited providers, the whole CME system.”
Hamman did not return several phone calls and e-mails seeking comment. David Nacht, an employment lawyer in Ann Arbor, Mich., acknowledged that his client did not have the medical and doctoral degrees he had claimed from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in the 1980s.
“It’s Mr. Hamman’s desire that he clear up any misconceptions about his background that he has caused. He wants to be completely straightforward about it,” Nacht said.
There is no indication Hamman ever treated a patient, though his teamwork training had him videotaping in emergency rooms and other settings where patients were being treated.
Hamman does have an associate’s degree in general aviation flight technology and a bachelor of science degree from Purdue University. He also has “type ratings” to fly half a dozen very large commercial planes, according to the FAA.
United would not discuss his job history, citing employee confidentiality. But the company confirmed that he is not currently authorized to fly. Hamman lives in Michigan and is based in Chicago.
As long ago as 1992, an FAA workshop listed Hamman as an M.D. from United’s flight center in Denver. In an interview last year with Cath Lab Digest, a publication for heart specialists, Hamman says that being a doctor may have “opened up some doors at United, and I ended up as manager of quality and risk assessment.”
In 2004, he joined Western Michigan University, a Kalamazoo school with a big aviation program in nearby Battle Creek, as co-director of its Center of Excellence for Simulation Research. In 2005, the center got a $2.8 million grant from the Michigan Economic Development Corporation to expand simulation training into medical settings. Matching funds from other groups brought the total to $4.2 million.
Soon Hamman was videotaping heart attack treatment drills and deconstructing what doctors did right and wrong. He spoke at Northwestern University and for the AMA and the American College of Emergency Physicians. In 2009, he joined Beaumont Hospital.
Dr. Sameer Mehta, a Miami cardiologist who runs an annual conference for heart specialists, had Hamman lead sessions in 2009 and earlier this year. He seemed to understand the jobs of the EMS, emergency room and cardiac catheterization lab staffs and how they needed to work together, Mehta said.
“He was able to simulate exactly what we were doing,” and to offer suggestions from aviation to help, Mehta said.
It’s easy for groups to assume someone else has vetted a popular speaker, said Dr. William O’Neill, a legendary cardiologist who spent 17 years at Beaumont before becoming an executive dean at the University of Miami in 2006.
“Somehow you’ve gotten the name or seen them in the literature,” said O’Neill, who has helped with many conferences. When he heard that Mehta and others had been duped by Hamman’s phony degrees, “I thought, ‘There but for the grace of God go I.’”
Hamman’s ambition may have done him in. In checking a grant proposal he wanted to submit in late spring, the Beaumont staff discovered the lack of an M.D. degree, said spokeswoman Colette Stimmell. Hamman resigned June 15.
In hindsight, the careful wording in some of Hamman’s comments is apparent.
“I couldn’t handle a full-time cardiology practice” with the demands of being a pilot, he told at least two reporters.
Less clear is what, beyond basic principles of teamwork, his training really offered.
“In a sense, he didn’t talk about anything medical,” said Dr. Stephen Mester, a Florida cardiologist who took one of Hamman’s sessions at the cardiology conference in Atlanta last spring. “I did not find it worthwhile, but I believe it could be worthwhile for programs just getting started.”
After fessing up, Hamman asked the AMA and the cardiology group to let him continue, saying, “the work is the work.”
They decided that a lie is a lie.
“He really didn’t need to be a physician to do what he was doing. He could have been successful without titling himself,” said Weaver of the cardiology college. “He made a very serious mistake.”
___
Online:
Hamman video at MDTV: http://tinyurl.com/2bre7uw
Newsletter interview: http://tinyurl.com/27dqt84
Michigan grant: http://tinyurl.com/2fftxp3
Presentation at Harvard: http://www.qualitycolloquium.com/past6/agenda/day2.html
Journal article: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15465959
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hudstim
Posted on December 13, 2010 at 10:49amI guess the “I stayed at a Holiday Inn Express last night” line didn’t work either…
Report Post »sWampy
Posted on December 13, 2010 at 10:38amGood for him, the education system in is a load of crap, often the worst of the worst have the most degrees and are often get into schools and sail through programs they have no business being in because of daddy’s money. This often is repeated for generations. While a bunch of poor deserving people are forced to cover for their incompetence in a hope of getting a few crumbs from their tables.
Report Post »afroggy
Posted on December 13, 2010 at 1:25pm“Good for him, the education system in is a load of crap”
I would prefer that a doctor is a “real doctor”. I’m just funny that way.
I’ll see if you whistle this tune just before your first cardiac bypass operation.
Report Post »TonyDarrington
Posted on December 13, 2010 at 3:02pmSounds like sour grapes to me. What graduate school did you fail to get into?
Report Post »hempstead1944
Posted on December 13, 2010 at 9:18amHe has GREAT potential as a future congressman or senator not to mention , President !
Report Post »dizzyinthedark
Posted on December 13, 2010 at 8:17amHey, I wonder if this guy was at the WH receiving one of those white coats for the photo op when Barry was shoving his world’s worst healthcare down our throats?!
Report Post »PatriotDaze
Posted on December 13, 2010 at 7:41amThis is MUCH better than an MD pretending to be a pilot.
Report Post »afroggy
Posted on December 13, 2010 at 1:22pmSnork!!
You’re quite correct. An MD can only kill one at a time. A fake airline pilot has far more potential. ;-)
Report Post »av8trx
Posted on December 13, 2010 at 4:24pmAgreed…you cannot fake piloting skills.
Report Post »shellmen
Posted on December 13, 2010 at 7:37amSounds like he got an education fro obama.
Report Post »ahough
Posted on December 13, 2010 at 6:53amWonder what will happen to his retirement benefits from United?
Report Post »afroggy
Posted on December 13, 2010 at 1:20pmAs I recall, those retirement benefits went south some years ago. There still a cursory retirement, but nothing even close to what the “brain surgeons” used to be able to retire on.
Report Post »red penny
Posted on December 13, 2010 at 5:49amWhat’s the big deal? Hell,I‘ve been telling people for years that The Queen Of England and I are cousins and no one knows how to figure out that I’m not.Hee,Hee !!!!!!
Report Post »LowIQGenius
Posted on December 13, 2010 at 2:20amThis speaks to one of the most broken aspects of higher education. This man obviously knows a lot. And only because he wasn’t about to waste his time returning to school, paying thousands of dollars, and serving as someone else’s understudy, we get to lose a respected member of the medical and commercial aviation communities. If the dude who played Ali G can be awarded an honorary doctorate degree from Harvard, why can’t we get this guy a medical license? Bureaucracy at its finest.
Report Post »Deutscher
Posted on December 13, 2010 at 2:55amWe can’t get this guy a medical license because he does not deserve one. A medical degree requires a great deal more than paying money and performing a residency. This guy was performing seminars and misrepresenting himself. Professional accreditation may seem like a useless bureaucratic process, but it is there for a very good reason. Personally I don’t want a self-taught unaccrediated guy working on me.
Report Post »TonyDarrington
Posted on December 13, 2010 at 6:35amWe can’t give him an MD because he knew nothing about medicine. He was teaching Cockpit Resource Management (CRM) to doctors. This does not make him a doctor. I was a flight engineer for 15 years. I knew enough about CRM to teach the course, but I still have to go through all 4 years of medical school to get an MD.
Report Post »sWampy
Posted on December 13, 2010 at 11:02amThat would break the system designed to keep the rich rich and the poor poor, we can’t have that now can we. The doctors, pilots, and lawyers have invested a lot of money making sure they tightly control who plays in their ponds, we can’t let anything get in way and risk hurting their little socialist utopia.
Report Post »TonyDarrington
Posted on December 13, 2010 at 2:59pm@Swampy…Huh? Soooo you’re saying education and certification mean nothing. As long as someone says, “I can do that!” we ought to let them try? Especially if they’re poor. Can’t hold the poor down. Do you think they should stay in Holiday Inn Express first?
Report Post »Next time you need medical care, go to your nearest medical school. There are plenty of students who think they can be doctors who would be willing to give it a try on you. The law school would be willing to provide a student for the malpractice suit. Maybe you could fly to Indiana for your treatment. I know a guy who thinks he can be a great pilot.
Chett
Posted on December 13, 2010 at 12:29amhmm I think it speaks to a over amount of trust we put in degrees.It would appear the guy did a good job, something needed. Why would he even need to be a doctor? Should we trust bits of paper more than we trust people? He of course should not have lied,and that alone should send him packing, but I can’t help but wonder about the need to lie and if we are all looking at the wrong things.
Report Post »afroggy
Posted on December 13, 2010 at 1:26am” I think it speaks to a over amount of trust we put in degrees.”
So how would we address this…..person?
Dr. Captain Hamman MD, ATP, ASMEL, LSMFT……..? Eventually these titles become comic. Of course, he isn‘t many of these anymore because he’s unemployed!
I agree with you to an extent. My thought is that even professionals are quick to seize on a title to establish credibility. It makes it easier to pigeonhole the person. However, as soon as you know how the guy operates, you can form your own opinion of his credibility. Sounds like this yahoo was a “helicopter specialist” (drops in for the day and gone by dinner time).
As I learned in grad school, anyone is an expert when they’re 40 miles from home. This guy just proves it, and he ain’t the only charlatan out there.
Report Post »Deutscher
Posted on December 13, 2010 at 2:18amProfessional accreditation is important. Without it you can’t establish an individuals level of expertise without a great deal of interaction or other information. I want to know the individual working for me has an understanding of their field.
Report Post »SevenTrumpets42
Posted on December 12, 2010 at 11:59pmToo bad the media and the democrats didn’t vet POTUS, although he has been a great boost for the conservative movement!
Report Post »broker0101
Posted on December 12, 2010 at 11:43pmCome on, people! This is obviously part of a massive Progressive, Soros-funded conspiracy to destroy our Representative Republic. Watch the other hand! Which, in this case, is clearly Van Jones and his ongoing effort to assassinate Glenn Beck.
Report Post »82dAirborne
Posted on December 13, 2010 at 12:22amNot even very interesting any more. PLEASE come up with something new.
Report Post »82dAirborne
Posted on December 12, 2010 at 11:35pmOoooops! Wonder how many folks he helped………..
Report Post »Sledgehammer
Posted on December 13, 2010 at 10:32amNo, you got it wrong! The question is, did the chicks dig him?
Report Post »staythecourse
Posted on December 12, 2010 at 11:21pmAt least they were able to check up on his background to find the truth…not like some people we know.
Does the POTUS come to anyone’s mind?
Report Post »eteme
Posted on December 12, 2010 at 11:21pmDo you have any idea how many POS are out there blowing up their cred. for their own personal gain?? Those who actually have kicked a$$ in real life are diluted by such tricksters of cred.
Report Post »Atheist
Posted on December 12, 2010 at 11:19pmHmm, reminds me of Catch Me If You Can… good flick. However, he must have known what he was talking about if he got away with it for so long. Fake it until you make it only works so long — though, I suppose that it did only work so long.
The Atheist
Report Post »HemiOwner
Posted on December 13, 2010 at 8:34amI concur!
Report Post »av8trx
Posted on December 13, 2010 at 4:21pmPardon me, but since you are so proud to be an Athiest, I have just one thing to say to you: I‘d rather believe in God and find out there’s nothing, than not believe and wish I had. Conclusion; you are not as smart as you think you are. I will pray for you.
Report Post »Cemoto78
Posted on December 12, 2010 at 11:18pmWhat’s the big deal, we’ve got a President, Speaker of the House, and the Majority Leader in the Senate who can’t provide any documentation for their exploits either!
Report Post »Workforit
Posted on December 13, 2010 at 2:17amBINGO! At least Hamman was a PRODUCER! Obama, Pelosi, and Reid are poor performing parasitic socialist organisms that will feed until the host dies… and they get to keep feeding, and feeding and feeding… Hamman is a perfect example of misguided but effective common sense, drive and determination and he did it on his own. He didn’t operate on any body, all he did was school some book smart doctors in the art of organization, a talent many Doctors need to improve upon. Take note the next time you sit in a waiting room for two hours after your scheduled appointment.
Report Post »TOSKIMAN
Posted on December 12, 2010 at 11:17pmDale Carnegie graduate gone wild.
Report Post »Lunar
Posted on December 13, 2010 at 1:34amI’m currently pursuing a malpractice lawsuit against a hospital. Honestly with what goes into getting an MD beside your name and what goes into getting the max certification that the FAA has (I have an ultralight licence). I would rather have this guy advising doctors than some dude from a pharmaceutical company.
Report Post »TXPilot
Posted on December 13, 2010 at 7:52amHmm….instead of a story about a pilot that faked his way into medicine, I’m more interested in a radical that faked his way into the presidency.
Report Post »joseph Fawcett
Posted on December 13, 2010 at 12:52pmIt is too bad that the guy felt like he had to lie to do what he did. It sounds like that he didn’t practice medicine but train those that did to work more as a team when doing so. I believe that certain people are gifted teachers and can teach others about things that will help others in their fields. However, a lie is a lie and once exposed cannot be ignored. I have a “little” and I mean little medical training, I was a CNA, and I have come to believe that patient care is more about understanding the patient than the medical problem. I cared for hospice patients to thier deaths and their families, and worked for myself. However, I had the certification and the training to back it up. I would love to care for those people again, I won’t because my certification has runout, and my life is more about my artwork now.
http://www.josephfawcettart.com western artist
Report Post »Drew
Posted on December 13, 2010 at 4:46pmTXPILOT has a good point. Someone in the press decided to check this guys background, but the mainstream media didn’t do the most basic research on our current president (or at least, they didn’t report what they found).
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