Dear Public Editor,
The Times has dragged the name of oncologist Gary D. Kao through the mud, whether deservedly or not, through its reporting on the "rogue" VA prostate cancer unit.
I do not know Dr. Kao. I do not know if he is a bad man responsible for incompetence and cover-up, as portrayed by the Times, or a good man with good intentions who simply made honest mistakes. I do know that he wrote a detailed statement for the Congressional hearing, addressing and contradicting many of the allegations the Times has made.
In your latest article, Walt Bogdanich does not provide any evidence that he even read the bulk of this statement. The title of the article is "Oncologist Defends His Work at a V.A. Hospital," but the article quotes hardly anything substantive that is written in his defense.
In the words of Dr. Kao:
"I have come to the hearing today to answer questions and to submit this written statement in order to correct the record and salvage my reputation. I hope that, through the hearing process, the investigations and through media reports, the truth will emerge. I am not the physician who has been portrayed in the media."
It is clear to me why Dr. Kao feels like he has been misrepresented. I hope the NYTimes has the honesty and courage to critically examine his claims, and retract any part of its expose on the VA cancer unit that it finds to be factually incorrect.
Michael Jin
2nd year medical student, UCSD
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