Anne Grand'Maison, MD, is suing Buffalo, N.Y.-based Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center for allegedly compromising patient safety and being gender biased.
Health Research Inc. Roswell Park Division; Candace Johnson, PhD; Renier Brentjens, MD, PhD; Carl Morrison, MD; John Kane, MD; and Errol Douglas, PhD, have also been named in the suit.
The lawsuit alleges that in at least 20 cases, Dr. Grand'Maison, who is trained in sarcoma, received pathology reports for sarcoma patients that had several diagnostic errors, and that doctors who she consulted with on diagnoses and treatments were undereducated in sarcoma research, according to court documents from the U.S. District Court Western District New York.
It also alleges the center's lead sarcoma pathologist refused to reach out for a second opinion in difficult cases despite Roswell's policies and that the sarcoma clinic was extremely understaffed.
When Dr. Grand'Maison brought these concerns to leadership, her efforts "appeared to fall on completely deaf ears as hospital politics and doctor egos took precedence," according to court documents. She further describes Roswell as "a work environment which was hostile to female physicians in innumerable ways."
Her case is the 15th lawsuit filed against the center in the past eight years for discrimination based on gender, race or disability.
"Our physician experts not only adhere strictly to national best practices in the diagnosis and care of patients with sarcoma, they determine and disseminate the standards of appropriate medical care as lead authors of national guidelines," Roswell Park said in a statement to Investigative Post. "The facts demonstrate that Roswell Park is a richly diverse and inclusive organization."