Got Money? Buy the Gov's Ear

The Albuquerque Journal tells us this morning (http://www.abqjournal.com/news/state/577321nm07-11-07.htm) that the head of the University of New Mexico's Cancer Research and Treatment Center used her university e-mail to invite colleagues to a fundraiser for Gov. Bill Richardson at her home. Not something she should have done, but, maybe you, like me, can't see that it's such a big deal. A very minor rip-off, if any. One could argue, of course, that using the UNM account creates an impression that the event was sanctioned by the university, but anyone getting the invitation likely already knows who Cheryl Willman is. The clout rests within her, and wouldn't be changed substantially by the form of the invitation.

Lower in the story, though, are elements that are more disturbing. According to the story, Willman indicated Richardson and UNM Regents President Jamie Koch asked her to host the fundraiser. It appears she didn't initiate it on her own. And what might be implicit in such a request? Perhaps something like: "Hey, Cheryl, you're building that neat new cancer center at UNM, and I bet you're going to want more money down the road to complete it and operate it." Of course no one would say that. They wouldn't need to.

An even more disturbing element: The invitation said Richardson wanted to meet leaders in the state's bioscience community and Willman said attendees were grateful that they got a chance to talk to the governor (and Democratic presidential candidate) about their concerns. Somehow, I suspect that if Richardson wanted to get together with movers and shakers in the medical and research community, he could do it anytime he wanted, with the snap of his fingers. As a matter of fact, I could give him a list of names of people (well, OK, I'd probably need to doublecheck with them first) in the medical community who would be overjoyed to host a coffee or reception at their homes to meet the governor and share their insights.

The invitation was about money. And people shouldn't have to donate money to the governor in order to get his ear. And it raises even more questions about the governor's influence over our universities, which it sometimes appears he tries to operate as just another branch of state government that he can use for political hires and headlines. (Whatever DID happen to his big project to establish stem cell research at UNM?)

Maybe I'm even more sensitive to this than usual after reading about former surgeons general testifying about political interference from the President (current and past) in their reports and statements about public health: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/11/washington/11surgeon.html?hp. It's true that many things get a little uglier when politics enters into the mix. And, while nothing is sacred, it seems some things should have a little buffer. When it comes to medicine and the nation's health, science and ethics should be the overriding principles.

That's not to say people in medicine shouldn't be accountable to the public. Lord knows, too many of the people with the grit and intelligence to make it through medical school and residency end up regarding themselves as demigods. That accountability should include our expectation that they should speak up when they see the public's health undermined.

Now, these stories are apples and oranges. There's no evidence Richardson has tried to censor findings on public health interventions, as apparently has happened at the federal level. But the federal testimony does raise questions about the wisdom of letting politics creep too far into medicine or public health.